All's Fair in Love and War
by shalanar
Summary: All's fair in love and war...or is it? Pairings: Sasuke x Naruto, Sasuke x Neji, Gaara x Neji
1. As The War Rages

Hello all and welcome to my first ever posted fanfiction. 'hides in nervousness' I hope you like it. If you do, drop me a review please and fill my deflated ego (a product lack of self-esteem). 'gives thumbs up' Um, once upon a time I had a plan for this fanfiction, but now it has completely taken control so I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed. In the start it wasn't supposed to have all the 'war' references, but after a while it started to form a theme, which I ended up sticking with and generating a title from. Anyway, I'll let you get to reading it now. I'll be posting chapters as frequently as I can.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Life's unfair like that. Nor I do not own Naruto durning any chapter of this story.

Edit: I'm shortening the paragraphs dramatically in the first few chapters to make it easier to read.

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Chapter One: As the War Rages

The war was on. Neji sighed and leaned forward to miss the spitball that went soaring past his head. Its destination: Uchiha Sasuke, who had seen Neji dodge it and also moved his head appropriately forward to miss the assailing glob. Sakura, unfortunately, was not so quick. The spitball landed smack in the middle of her forehead as she turned to gaze adoringly at Sasuke.

Sakura gritted her teeth and pinpointed the source of the offending spitball, of who had suddenly shown a great interest in the sensei's lecture. Neji smirked at Naruto's failed attempts to look innocent. Sakura was not a fool. Only one nin in the class would dare fire a spitball during sensei's class, and at Uchiha of all people.

No, Naruto was going to get hell for this after class. Sakura was already eyeing the clock and cracking her knuckles in anticipation. Neji watched Sasuke turn his head and throw a malicious smirk at Naruto, which was returned with a glare from the fox-child.

This had been going on for almost a week now. Neji smirked and shook his head while putting a tally in his notes by Sasuke's name. The lecture didn't really interest him, and it was more amusing to keep score of the silent battle that raged every day during class. Naruto was loosing horribly with his mere two triumphs, completely overshadowed by the twelve Neji had tallied up in Sasuke's favour. Over half of those were backfired plans of Naruto's, such as the misguided spitball.

Judging by the increased attacks of subtle assaults by the two, this was a major fight they were going through. Even when they were just simply rivals, it had never gotten this bad. Yes, life was simpler before the two opposing nin had secretly gotten together. Secretly was an understatement if there ever was one. Practically the whole village knew of the two, except those who were complete idiots, or who just refused to believe it was true. Despite not being a fool, Sakura was certainly in denial at the thought that her beloved Sasuke was no longer available, especially if it was because of Naruto. To her, it was a direct personal insult, and so her denial wore on.

Neji watched in amusement as Naruto darted his eyes to all possible exits, obviously calculating whether it would be faster to bolt out the door or attempt to squeeze through the window, which was closer. He seemed to choose the door as Sakura was directly in his escape path of the window. The blonde nin's leg muscles tensed as the seconds ticked down towards the bell.

Neji didn't blame him for his nervousness. Sakura's eyes were locked on Naruto with one of the creepiest and deadliest looks he had ever seen. Whether Naruto still had a crush on her or not was irrelevant—he was on her hit-list and Sakura was going to make sure he didn't enjoy it. The bell rang, and it was equivalent to a race's starting gun with the events that followed.

Naruto instantly went leaping over his desk and onto Shikamaru's shoulders, where he pushed off and bounded towards the door, successfully getting past the obstacle of the lower row of desks. Sakura was hot on his tail, however, and Naruto's head start was not going to save him.

Neji casually got up and gathered his things as the sounds of fighting erupted in the hall. Sakura had caught him. Neji glanced towards Sasuke who had a very satisfied smirk on his face as he strolled out of the classroom. Sakura's beating of Naruto served to gain some silent revenge for Sasuke while doubling to distract his fan club as he quietly slinked out.

Neji didn't know whether to add another tally to his list for Sasuke, but figured it was already a lost cause for Naruto, and therefore it would be pointlessly insulting for the blonde nin. Neji walked out into the pleasantly cleared hallway—everyone was mobbed into one place to watch the fight—and headed back towards his home.

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Well, that's chapter one. I hope you liked it. More will be coming soon. Send feedback please.

shalanar


	2. Never Back Down

'Tis Chapter Two. Sasuke's P.O.V. Yes yes.

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Naruto. Are we surprised? I think not.

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Chapter 2: Never Back Down

What an idiot. Really, by now Naruto should have figured out that there was no way he would ever best an Uchiha. That brat was going to learn his lesson and come back to Sasuke on bended knee and beg for an apology. Only then would the black-haired nin let him back into his life.

After all, it was completely Naruto's fault. Sure, Sasuke had started the fight, but it was only in reaction to the blonde's stupidity. He had full right to be angry. And his boyfriend was going to pay the price. You don't anger Uchiha Sasuke and get off scott-free. Still, it seemed Naruto was learning his lesson.

Sasuke smirked and paused at the school doors to take time to relish the cursing shrieks of Sakura and the panicked yells of Naruto attempting to get away. Naruto would come crawling back to him soon enough. Sasuke gave him two more days, max. If after that his koibito still remained stubborn, he'd just have to take more drastic measures. He was good at getting under peoples' skin, and Naruto was no exception.

Arriving at his flat, Sasuke collapsed on the couch, basking in his solitude. The smell of ramen had almost, but not quite, been discharged from the rooms through the open windows. The nin had never been fond of the smell, but it now carried with it fond memories which Sasuke was quick to push away. After all, he was angry with the boy, and ramen certainly was not going to change that. Sasuke stared out his window from his position on the couch and let out a sigh. What a boring day.

Sasuke's cloud gazing was interrupted by a mass of spiky blond hair and shifty blue eyes peering over the window frame. Sasuke watched as Naruto poked his head in, scanning the room again for any movement, and slid into the room through the window. Band-aides were stuck in random places all over his face, no doubt covering souvenirs of Sakura's revenge. Naruto must not have been able to see him lying on the couch from that angle. This worked to Sasuke's advantage. He watched for a few seconds as the fox-boy tiptoed around, shuffling through things on the table and in drawers before speaking.

"Why are you trespassing on my property without permission, Uzumaki?" he asked lazily from the couch, pleased by Naruto's sudden stiffening and whirling around.

"How long were you there?" the nin exclaimed, embarrassed and angry to have been caught off guard.

"I'm a ninja. I'm here for as long as I want, and you'll only know my presence when I wish it to be known. Besides, this is my house. It would be an obvious location for me to be. Now answer my question."

Naruto's pride had been wounded and he ignored the question once again. "Hey, I'm a ninja too!"

Sasuke snorted.

Naruto scowled. "You're such a jerk Sasuke!"

Sasuke let out an exaggerated yawn. "Are you finished? Now answer my question you dunce: what are you doing trespassing in my house? I rather dislike it, unless," the nin cocked an eyebrow, "you have something you wish to tell me."

"Dream on, Uchiha," Naruto scowled. "I don't have anything to tell you whatsoever, unless," Naruto shot Sasuke an equally cold stare back, "you have something you want to say to me."

Sasuke just settled for a small chuckle. "I'm patient. You'll give in soon enough. Now for the last time, if you're not here to kiss my feet and beg for forgiveness, why the hell are you tramping through my place uninvited?"

"If you must know," Naruto said, sticking up his nose, "I'm looking for my goggles."

"I left all your stuff in a box outside my door," Sasuke stated, gesturing.

"Well they're not in there!" Naruto complained, resuming his digging through various drawers.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stood up. His koi was such a pain sometimes. "Why do you even need them?"

"I don't need your grimy hands all over them."

"What the hell would I ever want with those?"

"Why wouldn't you? I bet you hid them away and specifically didn't put them in the box so I wouldn't find them and you could keep them." Naruto poked an accusing finger into Sasuke's chest. "Because you miss me and you're sorry."

"I am NOT!" Sasuke said, bristling. "Falsely accuse me of that again and I'll throw you out the window after breaking both your arms and legs."

Naruto ignored the threat and continued to search. After a few minutes of digging, and Sasuke tempted to just physically kick him out, he held up his goggles with a triumphant yell. "Found them!"

Sasuke folded his arms. "Good for you. Now get out, and don't you dare come back unless it's to apologise."

"Then I wont be coming back here I guess," Naruto sighed, looking around, "until you stop being stubborn and say sorry. I have my goggles anyway, and you're free to drop by any time when you're ready to admit you were wrong."

Sasuke's fist shook with repressed anger. "Get out of here Uzumaki."

"It's only a matter of time before you're begging me to come back," Naruto said, grinning cheekily, scruffing Sasuke's hair. He cringed as Sasuke's fist grabbed his wrist in an iron grip and twisted it just enough to cause pain. Sasuke's face was comparable to Sakura's only a while before, and Naruto knew better than to push him.

"We'll see who's begging," Sasuke said in a dead even tone, releasing his hold only after he twisted it so that the dull pain would stay with Naruto for a few hours more.

Naruto scowled and stomped out.

Sasuke smirked as he watched him leave. That actually went rather well. He'd let Naruto sit, lonely, for a few nights. He'd be back, and next time he wouldn't have the excuse of leaving his goggles behind to warrant such a visit. Sasuke flopped back onto the couch. But still, it was boring being alone. He missed the company Naruto gave; he had become accustomed to it.

Of course, Sasuke would never admit that to Naruto. He was damned if he was going to back down first. Perhaps there was some way to get both objectives done at once. The nin liked to be efficient. He'd find a way, somehow. Sasuke shut his eyes and relaxed, slowly drifting off to sleep as the cool evening air began to blow gently through the window.

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And that wraps up chapter two. Feed the feedback monster on the way out please. 


	3. The Assault

Aaaand it's Chapter 3! Yay, the story is slowly developing…

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, and I never will.

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Chapter 3: The Assault

Day eleven. Naruto was going to need a hell of a comeback to make it through this. Sasuke had matched and counter-matched all of the fox nin's efforts to take the lead. Naruto seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Sasuke was just biding his time, waiting to deal the finishing blow.

Neji watched Naruto glare at Sasuke relentlessly in a failed effort to somehow get the prodigy's attention and somehow rile him up. It was surely a lost cause. Sasuke did not loose his cool easily, but that appeared to be Naruto's last desperate plan of attack: to somehow get Sasuke in trouble with the sensei. That would be the only thing that could cause Naruto's weak standing to skyrocket and bring him neck-to-neck with Sasuke's.

It was such a difficult task, so Neji would award him bonus points. Sasuke never got in trouble in class. Not that he never did anything worth getting in trouble for, it was simply because he was crafty enough to get out of it.

Neji could hardly hold back a smirk as Naruto made exaggerated faces and waved his arms around at Sasuke while the sensei's back was turned. The stoic boy simply glanced at Naruto and turned his bored expression back to the lecture. Naruto growled in defeat, and suddenly his face lit up with a very impressive Cheshire cat-like grin.

He instantly grabbed a pen and began scribbling excitedly on a sheet of paper. Neji couldn't make out what it said from that distance, it probably didn't matter since Naruto's writing was illegible at the best of times, and was surprised to see the blonde crumple the paper up in a ball. His shock increased as Naruto stood fully up, winding up like a pitcher, and chucked the paper ball right at Sasuke's head. The paper ball made a dull thwaping sound as it bounced off Sasuke's head and landed on the desk in front of him.

Neji quickly looked to the front of the room. Naruto was one lucky bastard; sensei's back happened to be turned towards the board. Naruto sat down smugly and folded his arms, apparently satisfied at his work. Neji couldn't understand why, that paper ball didn't faze Sasuke one bit.

Sasuke took his time and picked up the paper ball, examining it critically in his hands. He slowly uncrinkled it and his eyes scanned the message Naruto had put in his chickenscratch. Ever so calmly he shut his eyes and recrumpled it. Then to Neji's shock he stood up and pitched it hard at Naruto's grinning face.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" came the stern voice of sensei.

Sasuke froze. So did everyone else in the class, and all eyes were turned to him. Complete bewilderment was plastered on everyone's face. Sasuke was never called on for misbehaving. He was the perfect student. Naruto was rolling in his chair, barely holding back his laughter. 'How the heck did he do it?' Neji wondered. Murmuring had started to break out among the class as they watched the sensei lecture the top student.

"I am very disappointed in you, Uchiha. Your behavior is completely rash and out of line. I will not tolerate disruptions in my class, and especially coming from you. You are supposed to set a good example, not act as a disgrace to this academy. You're lucky our exchange students haven't arrived yet. If they saw how such a highly spoken of student acted, what would they think about this village? I do not expect such behavior again."

"Yes, sensei." Sasuke's cheeks burned a slight pink as he glared down at his desk. Neji could see that his fists were shaking with repressed anger.

"You will be given labor duty as your punishment starting next week. Some men are working on a building a wall in town, and you will be with them, hauling the load and reflecting upon your actions. I also expect 200 lines of "I will not disrupt this class" by the end of this week."

"Yes, sensei."

Neji winced and felt sorry for Sasuke. It was bad enough that he was completely put on the spot and had his perfect reputation tarnished, but to get such a childish punishment? Neji knew his own pride wouldn't be able to take it.

"You may sit down."

Sasuke obediently did so, but not before shooting a dirty look in Naruto's direction. Naruto only grinned and winked back. Neji opened up his notes and added tallies by Naruto's name. He had succeeded somehow. Now it was _really_ war, on a whole new level. Neji pondered what Sasuke was formulating as his payback, but became more interested at the paper ball that he realized was right by his feet.

He was about to pick it up when the paper suddenly caught fire and burned up into ash. Neji looked up to see Sasuke turn away and refocus his gaze back to the front of the class, readorning his emotionless mask. Well, curious or not it looked like Neji wasn't going to get a chance to decipher what had caused the stoic to loose his cool so easily.

The tension in the room was stifling, and the air practically crackled between the desks of Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto had made his move, and it was Sasuke's turn. Sasuke wasn't dumb enough to do anything yet, especially after getting yelled at by the sensei. Students were still whispering to each other and glancing back at Sasuke, which he blatantly ignored.

The bell rang and Neji quickly gathered his things, wanting to get out of the room before Sasuke snapped. He cringed as he heard the said nin call out his name. Regaining composure he turned back to face Sasuke who had walked up to him. Was he angry that Neji had tried to read the paper? Why wasn't he taking it out on Naruto? Naruto looked surprised himself and somewhat relaxed his defensive pose. Sasuke waited for a majority of the students to file out before speaking.

"Are you busy tonight?"

"What?" Neji blinked in surprise. He was expecting more of a 'What business have you nosing through that paper?' or even a 'I feel like ripping out your spine first because I'm pissed.'

Naruto's face mirrored Neji's confusion, even more so as Sasuke walked closer towards the long-haired brunette.

"I asked," Sasuke said, lowering his lashes with a sexy smirk, "if you were busy."

Neji stammered and then regained his composure again. "Well, you see—"

Sasuke slid up close to him, completely invading Neji's personal space. "Because I'm not, and I was wondering if you wanted to come over."

Ok, of all the surprises of that class, this was the most unexpected. Neji darted a paranoid glance around the room to ensure that everyone had left. It was only himself, Naruto, and an uncharacteristically talkative Sasuke. Naruto did not look pleased at all. Neji swallowed.

"Well, I'd love to, but perhaps some other time," he said, forcing a polite smile onto his face.

"Neji…I don't invite just anyone over. Don't insult me by turning me down. I dislike being insulted." Sasuke lifted his lashes, and the red sharingan eyes seemed to burn through Neji, making his flesh crawl.

Neji certainly did not want to get on the bad side of Sasuke, especially with all the rage that was obviously bottled up inside of the nin. Glancing at Naruto he saw that Naruto was scowling with his arms folded, watching it all play out. Neji's eyes widened in realization. 'I'm the payback,' he thought and suddenly desperately wished he were somewhere else. He couldn't run, even if his pride had allowed him to, because Sasuke had a firm grip on his arm.

Neji slowly nodded his head. "Okay."

Naruto gave out a short soft growl and Sasuke smirked triumphantly, looking Neji over with his now normal eyes.

"Then let's go." He took the Hyuuga's arm and led him out. Neji could now feel the fox-child's eyes boring a hole into his back as he walked out with Sasuke. Either way, there was no easy way out of this. He'd just have to humor Sasuke and follow him back, leaving as soon as feasibly possible. Neji was good at all that formal crap. He'd get out of the crossfire as soon as he could and return to just watching it from the sidelines. At least that's what he hoped.

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A slight plot twist to end the chapter. Things may get a little heated up in the next—but not too hot yet. ;) 


	4. Prisoner of War

Just as a WARNING, chapter four gets a little YAOI-ISH, but nothing really too bad (I've just capitalized the key words for those that don't read the blurbs in front). Certainly not a lemon, and it hardly qualifies for lime. It's just basically a lot of seduction. If that isn't your piece of cake, then you're reading the wrong fic. ;)

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this. I actually had this chapter done before I even posted any of the fanfiction online. I've just been bogged down with my new job and never got a chance to upload this chapter. Thanks for the reviews I got.

**heyah** – And yes, this is an A/U. I just like to take the characters out of their natural setting and play with their lives. evil cackle So anything that doesn't quite fit in terms of factual things in the show I'll blame on the A/U. Convenient little thing that is.

**shadowsatnight** – The contents of the letter are revealed in this chapter. I hope it's decent enough as an explanation. To be honest, when I finished chapter 3 I was in a panic because I had no clue what was in the note. That's what happens when the story begins to write itself out: the characters love to do their own thing while withholding information from me.

**Ramen-Ou****– **I'm so glad you like it! And as this fanfic is serving to amuse me in my free time this summer, I'm sure I will continue.

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Chapter 4: Prisoner of War

If Naruto wanted to fight dirty, well, Sasuke could be just as malicious too. That damn bastard, totally setting him up like that in class. Sasuke couldn't believe he didn't see through the ploy. He had just gotten so paranoid.

A few nights before their fight, Sasuke had gone over to Naruto's where they had both gotten completely drunk. Sasuke certainly hadn't intended to become so intoxicated, but in the end he of course regretted it. They had somehow gotten into some sort of mix between strip poker and truth-or-dare in which passing down a challenge resulted in certain undergarments to be displayed publicly in the village for a week on the flagpole.

Sasuke had accomplished all his dares without flinching and then became just plain lazy and picked a truth. Naruto had pondered for a bit before deciding on a question. The question ended up being whether Sasuke had ever had a crush on Sakura. Sasuke had contemplated lying, but that obviously was against the rules of telling the absolute truth as the game dictated. Had he been sober, he would have lied anyway to prevent Naruto gaining too much power over him with the information.

Unfortunately he was drunk, and went into far too much detail over his short-lived crush of Sakura back when he was much younger. It hadn't lasted long, and certainly had been snuffed out by the time she started to swarm all over him, as well as the rest of the female population. It was a stupid, childish crush, but if it were ever to be revealed, Sasuke's dignity would be given a harsh blow and he'd never be able to pry the pink-haired girl off him afterwards.

He never thought Naruto would ever go so low as to threaten to tell the entire school. That's what the note he had bounced of Sasuke's head was about, and if Sasuke had only thought clearly enough through his paranoia, he would have realized that Naruto would not have done such a thing. Despite being rivals, they still carried a slight degree of respect for one another, and some acts were strictly forbidden. That included disclosing personal information that had been entrusted with the other person. Naruto had a sense of honor, and wouldn't violate that unspoken code. He just simply used it as a decoy to hide his real intent—class humiliation.

While that certainly wasn't as severe, it didn't stop Sasuke from being pissed. He had been tricked! Well, if Naruto thought he had won, he was sadly mistaken. Sasuke had plenty more attacks up his sleeve, and one of them was holding onto it. Sasuke smirked and led Neji back to his house, thoroughly enjoying the sour look on Naruto's face as they left.

Naruto was far too protective for his own good, and with jealousy stacking onto that, he was just a time-bomb ready to go off. Yes, Sasuke could get a nice revenge for Naruto's trick while also getting his koibito back and entertaining himself in the process of waiting. He could kill three birds with one stone. Now that was efficiency.

"Come on in and make yourself at home," he smiled, leading the Hyuuga in.

Neji looked nervous and slipped off his shoes. "I really can't stay long, I'll be missed at home."

"Stop with all that bull and have a seat," Sasuke said bluntly, gesturing to the couch. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes please," Neji nodded. He sat uncertainly on the couch, visibly resisting the urge to fidget. Sasuke smirked and began to walk towards the kitchen.

"What would you like? Water? Juice? Or something stronger?" He leaned on the doorframe, cocking his hips and focusing his eyes on Neji. This only served to fluster the Hyuuga more, especially as Sasuke's hand ran up and down the doorframe.

"Water would be fine." Neji's voice cracked slightly as he looked away quickly from Sasuke's penetrating eyes.

Sasuke smirked. Hyuuga was in the palm of his hand. "Water it is." He poured some into a glass and returned to find Neji still sitting on the couch, eyes downcast to the floor.

"Thank you," the brunette said softly, not lifting his eyes as he took the drink.

"No problem." Sasuke sat down next to him, still giving the nin his space. He had time to work this, and he needed to bring down Neji's defenses if he was to get anywhere near the boy.

"So…" trailed Neji, trying to find something to break the silence. "It was unfortunate what happened today. Naruto really got you well." The brunette's fingers holding the glass tightened slightly. He was apparently hoping that Sasuke would get angry with him and kick him out.

Sasuke just smirked and let out a slight chuckle. "Well Naruto's just an idiot. If he thinks that dented me, he's wrong." He slid over ever so slightly in Neji's direction. The nin detected the movement and moved slightly away. Sasuke smirked inwardly. So it was going to be a challenge, was it? This just made it all the more interesting.

"I could use the exercise anyway," Sasuke stated, leaning back comfortably into the couch. "Lifting all those rocks next week will be great for my biceps and abs." He casually slid off his shirt, examining himself, flexing. One glance in Neji's direction confirmed he had been watching, by the pink that now stained the nin's cheeks. Sasuke grinned inwardly. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

Neji cleared his throat and spoke without looking at Sasuke. "Of course not. After all, we're both guys."

"Then why wont you look at me?" Sasuke challenged, smug. Right in the palm of his hand…

Neji's head flew up and he instantly turned it back to Sasuke, staring at him. His cheeks regained their colour despite the nin's obvious attempts to force it away.

"So, Neji…" Sasuke said lazily, rolling over onto his side while still sitting, gaining some ground closer to the flushed nin. "What do you think of me?"

Neji didn't answer and simply looked away. Sasuke let a grin spread on his face.

"Well Hyuuga? Are you going to answer me?"

Neji finally looked up and locked his eyes with Sasuke. "I think you're very cruel using me like this as a tool to make Naruto jealous."

Ah, good old insightful Neji. Not that it wasn't obvious; but still, Naruto probably wouldn't have caught on this early. Still, Hyuuga wasn't completely accurate with his statement. That certainly was the overall objective of this entire ordeal, but it wasn't all Sasuke was looking for.

He leaned in close to Neji to prove his point. "And what if I'm doing it because I'm sincerely interested?" He took the nin's headband strap in his teeth and nuzzles his nose in the crook of Neji's neck.

Neji instantly went rigid, caught off guard with the statement. Sasuke took his silence as incentive to proceed farther, ghosting small kisses all up and down Neji's neck. Neji leaned back in a futile resistance to Sasuke's sudden onslaught but soon melted under the dark-haired boy's touch. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Neji's shoulders, letting his fingers run down the length of Neji's hair, pulling out the tie and letting it cascade in a wave of sepia down the nin's back.

Sasuke closed the distance even farther between them by sliding onto Hyuuga's lap, pressing the boy against the back of the couch while trailing wet kisses down his neck and onto his shoulder. Sasuke tried to push the collar over Neji's shoulder, and growled at how little skin it allowed him to access.

"Take off your shirt," he commanded.

Neji seemed to snap out of his trance and moved back, unfortunately with no place to go. "Sasuke…..my water is going to spill."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took the glass, placing it on the table. Neji instantly took advantage of that timeframe to quickly get to his feet and hurry towards the door. "Thank you very much for your hospitality Sasuke-kun, but I really must be heading back." Neji had hardly gotten on of his shoes on when Sasuke was suddenly very close again.

"But you just arrived," Sasuke breathed into his ear, wrapping his arms around his waist, pulling Neji close.

Neji swallowed. "I'm serious Sasuke."

"So am I." Sasuke countered, locking his eyes on Neji's pale ones. The boy seemed to be wrestling with a great deal of conflict and confusion. Sasuke knew Neji liked what he was doing; his body language stated that clearly. The thing that held him back was his own conscience, which was most certainly focused on Naruto. Sasuke would have to put it at ease, or at least silence it, in order to break through Neji's barrier.

He reburied his face in Neji's neck, letting his breath travel under the nin's shirt collar and onto his chest. "I've waited long enough for Naruto," he said, letting his hands roam on Neji's back, pleased at the shivers he felt going down Neji's spine. "And I'm tired of sitting around for him. I'm not interested anymore in waiting for that stubborn brat to give in. Not when I have something better in front of me."

"Flattery wont work," Neji said stiffly, though his words were forced as he felt Sasuke's breath play across his skin.

"And why shouldn't it?" Sasuke inquired, bringing his hand up to cup Neji's chin.

"B-because," Neji stammered, his resolve weakening as he felt Sasuke's lips so close to his own.

"That's not an answer, Hyuuga," Sasuke stated and closed the gap in between them, pulling Neji towards him with his other hand on the back of his head. Sasuke could feel Neji's resolve shatter; he could taste the sweet tinge of defeat on the Hyuuga's tongue as it played around his own.

Sasuke pressed the nin against the door without breaking the kiss and allowed his hands, tongue, and entire body to explore the new terrain he had won over. Neji moaned and mimicked Sasuke's actions, completely giving himself over to his victor. Two birds down, one to go.

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Ah, cruel cruel Sasuke using Neji like that. Neji likes it…honest… Anyway, keep your eye out for chapter 5, which is actually written, but I need to make a few tweaks to it before I feel I can post it. This story is now on cruise control and out of my hands so I'll just have to wait and see what happens just like the rest of you. 


	5. Shot Down

Ah, and now we get to the chapter that I really didn't want to write, out of pure laziness. I knew I had to get some of Naruto's P.O.V in soon since I've been switching from Neji and Sasuke so much, but I'm so lazy and didn't really have the motivation to do this. So it shows, and this really becomes just a filler chapter until I can get back to the mainstream plot.

**Ramen-Ou** – Yeah, there's going to be A LOT of OOC in this fic. All in good fun. : )

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Chapter 5: Shot Down

Ugh, that was completely unfair of Sasuke. Naruto sat on a desk and pouted. He had such a smug look as he was leading Neji out. Chances were good he'd only take him to his place for show and then send him away. Yes, that is probably what he would do. Naruto kept reassuring himself of this to put his mind at ease. He didn't like the thought of his Sasuke giving attention to someone else.

But that was the whole purpose of Sasuke's actions: to make Naruto jealous and spiteful. And it was working. Naruto 'hmphed' and crossed his arms. He couldn't give in so easily. He had to think of a way to get back at Sasuke for making him feel this way.

Naruto growled under his breath. He wasn't going to let that bitter nin win this. He could never live it down if he gave in so easily now. He was Naruto! He could do this! He had to just bite down on his jealousy and carry on, and make an even more dastardly plan than Sasuke….except it was Sasuke who usually came up with the most workable ones.

Naruto jumped down from the desk and shuffled out of the room, deep in thought. He had come this far. Why did they even fight anyway? If Sasuke would only back down… The blonde sighed. His koi made it obvious that he was going to have to be dragged down forcefully, and he would fight tooth and nail to come out on top in this dispute.

It was over such a silly reason anyway. Naruto had heard of some ramen convention traveling around to villages where the restaurant owners could swap recipes and gather with others in the trade. It was a wonderful business gathering, but Naruto saw it simply as an all-you-can-eat ramen fest. He had begged and pestered his boyfriend to come with him for a week before it arrived. Even then, Sasuke did not give in easily. Eventually he did break, and said he'd meet Naruto at the festival in the afternoon.

Naruto was delighted to have someone to go with and said he'd be there. That was before he ran into Shikamaru and Chouji who had been looking for the fox-nin in order for a master to assist them with a prank they were planning. Shikamaru had thought out all the details, being the strategist and all, and spent most of the time napping under a shady tree while Chouji and Naruto set up the prank.

Their target was the girls. Shikamaru claimed he had a bone to pick with them for something, but wouldn't go into details. Naruto became so wrapped up in the excitement of doing a new prank that he didn't watch the time. Needless to say, it worked perfectly. The three boys had silently trailed the girls to a part of the river that broke off into a small pool.

While the girls were busy swimming and talking, Naruto had snuck down and switched all their clothes with the ones that Chouji had made. They slowly left, sniggering in anticipation of the reaction. The boys didn't have long to wait, because soon a shrill scream cut through the silence of the forest.

Sakura came running out of the trees, brandishing an 'I love Naruto' across the front of her dress. She whacked Naruto in the back of the head and demanded the meaning of the vandalism on her clothing. The blonde nin could hardly hold back a laugh as Sakura all of a sudden twitched and began to scratch. The scratching became more frantic, and she turned her furious eyes to the three, demanding an explanation. Ino also came rushing out of the trees followed by Tenten, and both were scratching wildly.

Naruto hi-fived Chouji, commending him for lining the clothing so well with poison ivy. At that point, all three boys had to run for their lives. It was worth the beating, and the three returned to the village laughing that the girls would be scratching for at least a week more.

In all this excitement, Naruto noticed that the sun was beginning to set. His eyes widened in horrified realization that he had forgotten something, and quickly said goodbye to Shikamaru and Chouji. He had bolted to Sasuke's house, where he was met by the ill-tempered prodigy.

Sasuke was not happy to have been stood up, and the mere fact that it was at a ramen convention made it all the more insulting. He said he had waited there all afternoon among the restaurant owners and crazy obsessed people. Even worse, he had been seen by Lee and a few other nin, which meant that word spread pretty fast that the great Sasuke was hanging out with losers at some noodle festival.

Naruto had tried to cheer up his koibito with the story about the prank, but Sasuke was unimpressed and had kicked him out. Naruto thought Sasuke was totally overreacting; after all, he didn't do it on purpose and he had a good reason: he had to help Shikamaru and Chouji so their prank was a success. His boyfriend still would not listen to reason and completely ignored Naruto.

This angered the fox-child, and he resolved that he was not going to apologize if Sasuke was going to be an ass about it. And so the fight had begun, and had just become more and more nasty with the attacks. And now Sasuke had hit an absolute low and had taken Neji back to his place and left Naruto stew over that.

Well, Naruto was not going to sit around and let Sasuke win. He would do something about it and get back at his koibito. He couldn't think of anything to best what Sasuke had just done though. Naruto was jealous, and was at a point where he had actually considered giving up. No, that just wouldn't do.

The nin walked around in deep thought. Well, if he couldn't do anything better, he would at least have to take away Sasuke's means of attack. It was the only thing he could think of doing. Sasuke would just have to deal with the fact that Naruto did not give in easily. He was going to win this fight, or die trying.

* * *

And so ends the most boring chapter I've had to write thus far. Hopefully things will get more interesting soon. 


	6. The Aftermath

It's always more fun writing for Neji I find. His P.O.V. seems to run smoother than it does for the others. That is especially true when comparing it to a Naruto chapter. I don't know why, but I don't write for Naruto well. It's a pity, because I love his character, but I always seem to get bogged down when it comes time to write for him. His point of view is important though, so I cannot ignore it.

**SoaringDragon** – Thanks for the encouragement. I actually get a little nervous when I see I got another review, because I'm still adjusting to the thought that other people are actually reading my stuff, but it's nice to hear that other people are getting entertainment from something I love doing for fun. And I hear you with regards to the use of grammar and complete sentences. Nothing turns me off a fanfiction faster than a blatant and outstanding ignorance of the English language. Thankfully I haven't run into any of those yet on this site, to which I'm grateful.

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Chapter 6: The Aftermath

Neji stirred and opened his eyes. Sunlight was streaming through his window and landing onto his face. Neji rubbed his eyes with a small moan. Usually he slept on his opposite side so this wouldn't happen but….wait….he wasn't at home. That wasn't his window.

Neji opened his eyes wider, and as the unfamiliar objects in the room came into focus, so did the clarity of his remembrance of the events from last night. Oh god, he didn't… Neji quickly checked under the sheets. Good. Boxers were still accounted for. He didn't think he and Sasuke had gotten that far.

Speaking of the nin, he was still asleep since Neji was blocking all of the intruding sunlight. Neji eyed him critically. The boy was even more gorgeous in sleep than he was when he was awake. His dark eyelashes rested against pale cheeks while his hair fell in feather-like wisps around his face. Even how he slept, with one arm curled up under him and the other falling limply over his head, was cute. Neji snapped out of it. How did he become so intensely attracted to Sasuke after just one night? Just one bloody incredible night…

Neji drifted off, remembering the feeling of Sasuke's arms around him, touching him, claiming him. Neji kept reminding himself he was just being used, but if it felt so good he just wanted to be used more. No! It was bad what Sasuke was doing to him; it was degrading. Neji should not get any pleasure out of it. It should all be bittersweet at the least. As much as Neji kept telling himself this, he couldn't deny how much he liked it. As he wrestled with his conflicting thoughts, Sasuke's eyes slowly opened.

The nin sat up and smirked at Neji, leaning in to steal a kiss. Neji didn't resist, even as the kiss deepened. Sasuke smugly broke away and ran his fingers through the brunette's hair.

"Sleep well?" he asked, pulling Neji into his arms and nuzzling his face into his hair.

Neji silently nodded, staring off and thinking of how wrong this all was. After all, Naruto and Sasuke were just in a fight; they had technically not broken up. Neji was sickened by the thought that he wished they would so he could be with Sasuke. Not that Sasuke wanted to be with him.

Even while they were fighting, Sasuke made his affections of the blonde clear. Just the other day he had stared down another nin who had been flirting with Naruto. Naruto belonged to him, just as Neji did now but not in the same sense. The brunette was just a useful tool to regain what Sasuke truly wanted.

Neji quickly forced back the start of tears that threatened to make themselves visible in his eyes. It was bad enough without Uchiha seeing him cry. He sat up, moving slowly away from Sasuke's light hold.

"I had better head back. Everyone will be wondering where I am," he said, not looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, lying back with his arms supporting him up. "I'll see you around."

Inwardly, Neji felt let down. A small part of him had hoped that Sasuke would ask him to stay, or make him stay as he did last night. But it was obvious by the nin's nonchalant and casual dismissing of him that he was finished with his prisoner. Neji quickly walked out of the room and got his shoes on, making it out the door just as the first tears began to fall.

He could take the long way through the woods and avoid going through town. That way he could not be seen crying and he'd have quiet time to think. The woods were so peaceful in the morning.

Neji walked slowly, delaying the time he'd have to go home and explain where he had been all night. All a made up story of course, he would never tell them he had truthfully spent the evening making out passionately with Uchiha Sasuke. The sun dried his tears and he wiped his cheeks to make sure there were no tearstains to give him away. It was just in time too, because he heard a voice from above.

"So you stayed the night?"

Neji shut his eyes before looking up behind him. Of all the people he had to run into this morning, why oh why did it have to be him?

Naruto tilted his head to the side and regarded Neji. "Well? Answer me, Hyuuga."

Neji put on his stuck-up better-than-you face he wore so well. "Where I was last night is no business of yours."

Naruto jumped down from the tree. "I think it is." He folded his arms and stared defiantly at Neji.

The brunette turned and kept walking, hoping Naruto would just let off. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Naruto sped up his pace and caught up to Neji.

"Don't ignore me," the fox-child said angrily.

"I wasn't," Neji stated, closing his eyes as he continued walking, "I just need to get back home soon."

"You're not going to go anywhere until you answer me." Suddenly Neji was stopped as thirty Narutos appeared and surrounded him, blocking his path. Each one wore a stubborn look that clearly stated that Neji was not going anywhere until questions were answered.

Neji sighed. "I don't want to fight, Naruto."

One of the Narutos folded his arms. "Why would you have to fight? I just want to talk."

"Well perhaps I do not want to," Neji said, somewhat surprised at his own nerve. He'd normally humor the nin, but right now he just wanted to get home and not think about Sasuke, Naruto, or anyone.

Naruto said nothing, but his duplicates did not move to let Neji go. Neji could not see an easy way out that wouldn't needlessly waste energy and cause a scene. He was just about to speak when the stomach of one of the doppelgangers growled.

"Come and get some ramen," Naruto said, his doppelgangers disappearing. "And we'll talk."

Neji's path was cleared and he could make a run for it, but he figured that if he tried he'd just end up surrounded again. He just nodded and followed the single Naruto as he led him to a ramen shop. Neji sat uncomfortably on the stool as the fox-child dug into his bowl of ramen. It wasn't long before he was on his second bowl, and then his third. Five bowls later, he turned and regarded the Hyuuga. Neji stared coolly back.

"So, explain yourself."

"What's there to explain?" Neji countered. He did not want to talk about last night, and was going to do anything in his power to avoid the subject.

"Did Sasuke have you camp out there to make it look like you were doing stuff and then let you out in the morning?" Naruto rolled his eyes.

Neji was about to tell Naruto what happened, but paused for a moment and just nodded. Unfortunately, Naruto had caught the reddening of the brunette's face.

"You didn't do anything, did you?" Naruto's face was now deadly serious, and he watched Neji closely as he answered.

"Not too much," was all the nin could get himself to say.

The blonde folded his arms and looked irritated. "Not too much? That jerk Sasuke…"

Neji couldn't disagree with that statement. Sasuke was a jerk. A sexy jerk who knew how to please, but still a jerk.

"So did you like it?"

Neji was completely caught off guard by that question. He wasn't sure exactly how to answer it. He found himself avoiding Naruto's gaze and fidgeting on the stool. The blonde nodded his head and took the nin's uncomfortable silence as his answer.

"Well then," Naruto said, standing, "it's payback time now, isn't it?"

"What?" Neji blinked in surprise and looked at Naruto. Wasn't he mad at him? Why were people not getting angry with him when they should? "What are you going to do Naruto?"

"That's a very good question, but whatever it is I'm going to do it!" the blonde said with determination. Typical Naruto. Not a plan in his head, but he was already resolved to go through with it.

Neji stood up. "Well, when you figure it out, you don't have to let me know. I've been away from home long enough and I better head back now."

Naruto folded his arms. "I'll see you back here in two hours."

"Excuse me?" Neji's pride flared up at the thought that Naruto was ordering _him_. The absolute nerve.

"You heard me Hyuuga. Be back here in two hours, or I'm sure I'll find a way to prank you in a way that you wont easily be able to forget."

And now threats? Naruto must have been serious. "And what if I'm busy?" Neji countered, also folding his arms and giving Naruto his classic cold glare.

"You heard my terms." Naruto matched the nin's glare, aggravating Neji even more.

Neji sighed. Naruto was so stubborn. He didn't know how Sasuke put up with it. The thought of Sasuke made Neji's stomach twist and a mix of emotions swirled inside him. "I've got to go." Neji turned around and began walking back to his home, not pausing to look back at the blonde once. He could feel the blue eyes watching him as he disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Hm…I don't know whether to wait until after Sunday to post more chapters (I have about three chapters written after this thus far), but my friend hasn't read them yet and I always like to run my chapters by her before I post. shrugs I'll see how far ahead I get, and I may actually post some chapters I wrote without a second person editing. If not, then I'll post a mass of chapters at once sometime after Sunday. 


	7. The Counterattack

Another Naruto chapter, which seems to predispose it as not all that great (at least in my point of view). Naruto doesn't even have a wonderful original plan or anything either, which really bothered me. Still, there are amusing little things in this chapter which I enjoy.

**Heyah **&** kawaii kitsune-kun** – Yeah, I was beginning to notice the paragraph thing too. It really bugs me, because it looks fine on MS Word, but when I put it onto it totally warps the format and I get these long wiiide paragraphs in tiny tiny font, and my tabs are gone. I'll do my best to try to break up my paragraphs to ease reading. If there are any other formatting things that totally get destroyed that you would like to point out, just let me know.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Eeeee…….I know what you mean. I love Sasuneji so so so much. I don't know how things are going to play out in this, so I'll just have to wait and see. The story is really taking some unexpected twists for me. I promise you though that if this does not turn out into a Sasuneji, then I'll work on another fic that does. Because that pairing is just too yummy… And in all fairness, Sasuke can be an ass as well, but that's expected so it's forgivable. ;)

**Jem** – Ok, I guess it's not fair for me to withhold chapters, especially when they're building up so quickly. I'll continue to submit them, I'll just have to be really careful when rereading to make sure I catch any errors.

* * *

Chapter 7: The Counter-attack

He would be back. Naruto watched Neji leave, satisfied in knowing this. Hyuuga wouldn't risk being a target of one of Naruto's famous pranks. Now that he had his means of counter-attacking Sasuke, he just needed the plan to go with it. Well, the jealousy thing had worked wonderfully in Sasuke's favour. The blonde was extremely jealous and angered that Sasuke had actually gone through with his threat and had given Neji special attention. He was not to be allowed to use that attack again.

Naruto ordered up yet another bowl of ramen to aid in his thinking processes. He could always ask Shikamaru for help; after all, the nin owed him for helping with the girl prank. Still, getting outside help would lessen the effectiveness of Naruto's counter-attack, and Naruto didn't want Sasuke making smart-ass comments about how he couldn't do anything right on his own. Could he technically use Sasuke's means of attack as his counter? That would effectively take away Sasuke's ammunition and hopefully spark some jealousy in his dark-haired koibito.

It was a little redundant, but until Naruto could scheme up something better, it was all he had to work with. So how would he go about it? Sexy no jitsu? After all, who could possibly resist that? Naruto scowled. Sasuke could. That had been one of Naruto's first tactics to end their fight. But even locked in a small confined space with a dozen sexy female Narutos didn't faze the boy one bit. They were both so stubborn. Still, Neji wasn't Sasuke, so could it possibly work?

Naruto wasn't really interested in getting involved with Neji. Sure the nin was good-looking, but he always had that aloof better-than-you attitude that drove Naruto nuts. Oh well, sacrifices would have to be made in order to anger Sasuke enough to give in and apologize for being an ass. Who knew? Maybe Naruto would get to like Neji better once he got to know him. A bit of his cold distant exterior seemed to be cracked this morning after his night with Sasuke. Naruto didn't bother leaving the ramen bar, and instead waited for Neji to return. The said nin returned exactly two hours later.

"Punctual," Naruto noted aloud.

Neji nodded. "I try to be." Naruto could hear him mutter under his breath, "Even if I don't want to be…"

Naruto hopped down from the stool. "So shall we get started?"

The nin looked confused. "Started with what? Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not," admitted Naruto, "but sacrifices must be made in order to piss Sasuke off enough."

Naruto watched as Neji glanced back the way he had come. No doubt he wanted to get out of becoming part of this sacrifice, especially if it was only to anger Sasuke.

"Now I need you to break into Sasuke's house—," began Naruto. By the look on Neji's face, he really didn't want to get involved past the start of that sentence. Naruto continued on. "And I need you to take something that is really important to Sasuke, something that he'd miss."

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Neji said, already backing away.

"Because I'm crap at sneaking into his house. I've already proved that once before," Naruto countered.

"How do you know I'm any better?" Neji shot back.

"You're a ninja."

"So are you!"

"Exactly. So that's why you should go break into Sasuke's house and get what I say. You wont even get blamed for it. Look, I'll leave a note." Naruto displayed a scrawled message on a ramen napkin.

Neji had to squint and tilt his head to the side to make it out. "I've borrowed this for a while. I'll give it back soon. Signed Naruto," Hyuuga read out. He looked up. "I still don't get it. What is it you want to take?" Neji was still not willing to get involved. He would. Naruto had dirt on everyone in the village, and he was sure that someone with an ego as large as Neji's would be easily swayed.

"His pendant. With his family symbol."

"What! Naruto, that's all he has left since…well, you know. He'll flip!"

"That's why you'll do a good job not to get caught, right? Once you get it and bring it back to me, leave the rest to me."

"This is crazy!" Neji exclaimed. "I wont be a part of this."

Naruto grinned. "Oh I think you will…"

Ten minutes later, Naruto watched from the bushes and Neji slid into Sasuke's open window, carrying the note Naruto had written on the napkin. Three minutes later, he was out, and without a rabid Sasuke on his tail. Naruto smirked. He knew Neji could do it, if motivated. Neji quickly ran to the bushes and shoved the necklace in Naruto's hand.

"There you go. Now deal with it from this point on. I'm getting out of here."

Naruto grabbed his wrist. "Not so fast. You've got to come back with me now."

Neji gave him an exasperated look. "What? Look, I've done your little prank or revenge or whatever for you, and now I'm leaving. I'm done with this. You handle the rest."

"But this isn't my complete revenge!" pouted Naruto. "I still need you to come back with me."

Neji scoffed. "To hell with that. I'm going home."

Naruto folded his arms. "So you're going to be difficult? Remember our discussion back at the restaurant?"

Neji nodded, a scowl growing on his face.

"Well?"

"I hate you," Neji spat out, but followed Naruto as he headed back to his home.

Naruto's home was what one could call flatteringly a complete mess. Neji made a face as he made his way through the mass of unorganized things that scattered the floor, many of them decomposing food items. The Hyuuga was very particular on being incredibly neat, and this disorder bothered him. Naruto cleaned up a little, that is to say he shoved most of the junk against the far wall, and showed Neji to the now-visible couch. The pale-eyed nin remained standing. Naruto stared at him.

"I cleaned up. It's not like the couch is going to bite you or anything."

With a reluctant sigh, Neji took a seat. "So what's this grand plan that you so unfairly dragged me into?"

Naruto smirked. "You'll see."

By the look on Neji's face, it was apparent that he didn't want to see anything that was to come in the future once Sasuke found out his treasured item had been stolen.

"Relax," said Naruto reassuringly. "Just play along and you'll be fine."

Neji raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. They sat there for a good half hour, and Naruto was running out of ways to keep his reluctant guest amused. Neji couldn't leave or it would ruin everything. What could possibly be taking Sasuke so long? Naruto would've thought he would have found out by now, and would be storming in. Almost as if on cue, the blonde heard a pounding on the door.

"NARUTO! OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW BEFORE I RIP OUT YOUR SPLEEN!"

Neji's eyes widened and he was about to stand up, but Naruto blocked him, putting a finger to his lips. They both watched the door anxiously.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke sounded really _really_ pissed. Naruto gave himself a mental pat on the back. "IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR THIS INSTANT I'M GOING TO BREAK IT DOWN AND KILL YOU WITH IT!" The entire village must have been able to hear, with the way Sasuke was shouting.

'_Wait for it…_' Naruto thought, tightening his grip on Neji's arm, who looked like he was about to bolt at the slightest opening. The door handle began to rattle violently, and the pounding became fiercer. Naruto smirked. It was all going according to plan. Now the hinges were beginning to weaken. Any second now, a Sasuke blinded with rage would burst through and witness the conclusion of Naruto's plan. The blonde smirked at Neji. "Shall we get started then?"

Neji's eyes darted to the weakening door, completely distracted. "Start what?" He was still so very tense.

"This," whispered Naruto, pulling Neji into a kiss right when the Hyuuga least expected it. Neji was in complete shock and didn't even have a chance to respond when he was pushed down on the couch as the door splintered open. Naruto shut his eyes and let his hands wander up under Neji's shirt, making sure to do a good job of it without breaking the kiss.

Nothing sharp and pointy stabbed him in the back, so he cracked one eye open and looked into Sasuke's shocked and enraged face. Naruto could hardly hold back his smugness. Without removing his hands he gave the angered nin an innocent look. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was so caught up in the moment I didn't hear you knock."

Sasuke strode up, fists shaking by his sides. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Naruto kept up his innocent act. "So he's yours? Well that's too bad, because he's mine now." He smirked as Sasuke's eyes flashed in anger.

"You really think that's going to work?"

"I know it does," Naruto stated back confidently. "Why, is there a chance you may dislike my hands roaming on someone else?" The blonde acted out his words, pulling Neji close and taking his ponytail between his teeth.

"You're not serious." Sasuke's look could kill. So he could be jealous…

"Leave us for tonight and find out in the morning." Naruto winked and threw Sasuke the necklace he stole. "I believe this is yours. And this," he said, wrapping his arms around Neji, "is mine."

Sasuke sneered. "You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?"

Naruto sneered back. "Unless you're here to apologize, there is the door. I think I've found myself an adequate replacement."

"You can't replace me so easily," growled Sasuke. "I know the game you're playing."

"Nice to get a taste of your own medicine, isn't it?" snapped Naruto.

Neji tried to squirm away and get out of this fight, but Naruto had a firm grip on him. The blonde still stared his boyfriend down. "You got what you wanted," the fox-child continued, "and I have what I want. Now get out, and don't lay a finger on Neji again."

"You're one to talk," growled Sasuke. "Your plan's useless as always. Neji is mine to do as I please."

"Is he?" Naruto turned back to Neji. "Do you want to go back with Sasuke?"

Neji cringed and shook his head. The nails digging into his side retracted. Neji did not need the prompting. He did not want to go back with Sasuke, but at the same time, he didn't want to stay here either. He had little say in the matter as Sasuke glared at him and stomped out through the splintered wood that used to be the front door. "It's going to be a little drafty tonight with your door gone. You'll come crying for me soon enough Naruto."

Naruto smirked. "Dream on, Uchiha. Try not to get too lonely."

Sasuke snorted and left. Well, Naruto had succeeded in angering his koi and sparking a bit of jealousy, which was all he was really shooting for. Sasuke did not like to share, and disliked the thought of Naruto touching Neji and Neji touching Naruto. Either way, he lost. The blonde knew this wasn't nearly enough to claim victory in the dispute, since he just copied Sasuke's tactic.

It would serve well, however, in biding his time until Naruto could think of a really good plan to use against Sasuke and bring him to his knees. Winning out over Sasuke had really become an obsession for him. In some ways, it was all to prove himself to Sasuke and show that he could hold his own.

Naruto released his hold on Neji, and the nin quickly got up and walked out. The fox-child let him go. Hyuuga had done a more than adequate job regarding Naruto's plan, and there really was no more purpose in him staying. Naruto could call upon him later, if the need arose.

The next day, Naruto walked to school only to find Sasuke had beaten him to Neji first. Class had not started yet, and Sasuke was having some sort of conversation with the Hyuuga, blatantly ignoring Sakura fawning at his heels. Neji was just staring at the top of the desk, and it was hard to tell if he was even listening. Naruto walked up and stared at him.

Sasuke smirked back. "You can talk the talk, but not walk the walk, hm?"

Naruto scowled. "What are you talking about?"

Sasuke folded his arms. "You let Neji leave right after I left. I should've known you wouldn't go through with anything."

Naruto growled. "What, like you? You know, that technically counts as cheating."

Sasuke shrugged. "I need someone while I wait around for you to smarten up."

Naruto gritted his teeth and was about to say something when the bell rang. He settled for glaring at Sasuke and headed off to his desk. He was not going to allow Sasuke to be with Neji alone.

He continued to glare continually at an unfazed Sasuke throughout the rest of the class, even as the sensei was introducing the new exchange students from the sand village. Naruto was going to get to Sasuke through Neji, or at least prevent Sasuke from getting to the blonde in the same way. The battle for dominance continued to rage, with no clear winner in sight.

* * *

Poor Neji is caught in the middle. Frankly, I think Naruto and Sasuke should make up their minds and end this fight, or at least break up. sigh They're both so stubborn. And Naruto doesn't appear to be interested in any way with Neji like Sasuke sort of is, which also irritates me. At least Sasuke didn't fake it when he brought Neji home. folds arms Lol, just a random author rant with regards to my little peeves with the way the characters are acting, but it makes nice plot so I guess I should just leave them to it. 


	8. Interference

Poor Neji has reached an all time low, and is being used by both Naruto and Sasuke. I feel bad for him. Is there any way out? We'll just have to see.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Yes, that could work, except there's just one little problem. There's a certain unexpected 'interference' that wormed its way into the story. Even I didn't see it coming. I wouldn't give up all hope though of SasuNeji. There's still a possibility it could work out, even with more complications getting involved.

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Chapter 8: Interference

Neji was getting sick of this. He sat in class staring straight ahead and tried to ignore the subtle actions of Sasuke and Naruto. A wink here, a smile there; they were doing everything in their power to sway him over to their side. Then they could use him fully against the other. That was the only purpose behind their flirtations. In the end, they only wanted each other, and Neji would be discarded. Life sucked.

Neji had successfully managed to avoid both Sasuke and Naruto throughout most of the week, but there was no chance of evasion when it came to class. Neji had to be there, and he had already skipped once with the excuse of sickness. He knew the game plan now. The two would flirt inconspicuously with him in class—thank god neither sat directly next to him—and perhaps Naruto would even pass him another note asking to meet up later. Then when the bell rang, they would ambush him in the hall, each trying to convince Neji to come back home with them.

If he decided to go with either, it was tallied up in the victor's favour. It was incredibly predictable. So far Neji had held out and not joined a side, but he didn't know how much longer he could restrain them. Last time Sasuke had nearly resolved to physically drag Neji off. It was only thanks to Hinata calling to Neji that saved him from such a fate. The brunette was for once in his life grateful to have her around.

Neji watched the minutes tick closer towards the bell in increasing dread. He considered making a mad dash to the door much as Naruto had done the day his spitball missed, but that would make too much of a scene. So far it appeared that no one noticed Sasuke and Naruto trying to gain Neji's affections, and Neji did not want his reputation to be that of someone who was simply to be used. His pride was the only thing he had left.

Neji glanced over to Hinata. He couldn't expect her to bail him out again. Unfortunately by looking at Hinata, he caught the gaze of Naruto who sat next to her. Naruto smirked smugly at him and winked. Neji quickly turned away, but not before he saw Naruto's smug look leave him and fall on Sasuke. Peering out of the corner of his eye, Neji watched Sasuke scowl back.

Only two minutes until the bell, and the nin had no plan of action. Perhaps he could blend into the crowd, or pick up a conversation with Shikamaru. That probably wouldn't work. Neji did not often strike up random conversation, nor was he one to mingle with other people if it could be helped. And he would be a fool to think those things would hold back Sasuke or Naruto.

One minute. Neji resolved that he would try to get out as fast as he could without making a scene, and take a different route through the school in hopes of loosing the two antagonists. It was farfetched as working plans went, but it was the only thing Neji had to fall back on. Three seconds…two…one… Neji tensed and quickly stood up as the bell sounded. He grabbed his books quickly and slid under his desk, coming out in the row under him. From there he followed the rest of the class out the door.

He could already see Naruto and Sasuke catching up. Naruto didn't care if he made a scene, and Sasuke was just good at getting to where he wanted to be. Neji wasn't going to make it far down the hall at this rate. Ugh, why did Shikamaru walk so slow! Neji resisted the urge to shove him out of the way and make a run for it. Hurry up…. Neji paced slightly from one foot to another.

He made it a few steps out into the hall when he felt the unwelcome presences from either side of him. Neji kept walking, staring straight ahead and tried in vain to ignore them.

"So have you decided yet Neji?" crooned Sasuke's voice near his ear.

"No pressure," Naruto's chipper voice said on his other side.

'_Just let me disappear…_' Neji thought hopelessly. He looked down and swallowed. He'd have to choose a side, or he'd be nagged like this every day. It shouldn't be so difficult, but for some reason it was. Neji didn't like the power he had over such a decision.

By choosing one, he was indirectly determining the victor of this large fight between Naruto and Sasuke. Neji didn't even know what it was about and didn't feel he had a right to influence the results in any way.

He also enjoyed being with both Naruto and Sasuke (when they were normal), and didn't want to make a new enemy out of one of them. The nin couldn't choose the winner, because in the end he ended up being the loser either way. So what was worse? Hanging in limbo and being nagged to death or completely destroying a friendship? Neji thought he was just going to loose it when an unfamiliar voice intruded into the conversation.

"Excuse me. Are these two bothering you?"

Neji looked up in surprise. It was one of the exchanged students who had joined the class the previous week. His hair fell in short red spikes, and there was some sort of symbol on his forehead. On his back, he carried a rather large water gourd. His dark-rimmed eyes stared at Neji, waiting for a response.

Neji was still in shock. Why was a complete stranger standing up for him? The brunette could sense Sasuke and Naruto bristling at the new boy. The exchange student had gotten in the way of their plans, and he was also new and different. Neji himself didn't know anything about the boy, and wasn't sure yet whether to trust him.

Still, this was the escape Neji was praying for, so he had to take advantage of it. Somehow he managed to give a slight nod. He heard Sasuke growl, but kept his eyes locked on the new nin to avoid meeting the gaze of Naruto or Sasuke.

The new student nodded back. "You can come with me then if you wish." The boy turned and started walking down the hall, and some grainy substance—sand, Neji realized—began to leak from his gourd. It blew in around in the air and suddenly streaked towards Naruto and Sasuke. Neji leapt back in shock to miss the sand, and watched as it began to attack Sasuke and Naruto.

'_How the heck does sand attack anything?_' Neji thought, but it apparently could, and was doing a good job if it. The two nin struggled against it angrily and tried to fight back against it unsuccessfully as it blocked their way. Neji just stood and watched in a horrified fascination. Just who was this boy who could command the sand to do as he wished? Remembering his rescuer, Neji turned to see where he went. The exchange student was standing and waiting for him calmly.

"Well, are you coming?" he asked simply.

Neji was still confused at the odd turn of events, but nodded and followed the boy. '_What am I doing?_' he thought, at a loss as to why he was following such a strange and potentially dangerous person. Neji took one last quick look back at Sasuke and Naruto.

The sand didn't seem to be harming them, just hindering their movement; enough for Neji to get away. Neji followed the redhead out of the school and into the sunlight. During the whole time, the boy just led the way silently without turning back. Neji somehow found his voice and spoke to the stranger's back.

"Thank you…um…"

The new boy turned around and regarded Neji. "Gaara."

"Gaara," Neji repeated, nodding. "You really helped me out there. But the sand…it wont—"

"They'll be fine," Gaara stated, turning back around and started to walk away.

"Um, ok. Thanks again," Neji said. This sand boy confounded him to no end. "I guess I'll see you in class later."

Gaara nodded without turning around or stopping. Neji watched as what appeared to be his new ally walked off into the town.

* * *

Awha? Where did Gaara come from? I hadn't expected Gaara to be in this fic at all, and to be honest, I'm glad I wrote this set of chapters in a group before I sent it. I had to go back to the previous one and at least stick in a sentence saying the exchange students had arrived. So a new character, a new twist, and let's see how this turns out. Sasuke and Naruto are not going to be happy, I'm sure. 


	9. Confrontation

A bit of a mix of P.O.V.s in this one. I think it's only Sasuke and Neji's. Gaara's a baby-eater. Lol, just kidding. And so the fanfic continues on…

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Lmao! Your master plans amuse me greatly. Don't worry, Sasuke's a big boy and he's not going to let Gaara walk all over him…or Neji for that matter. ;) And to be quite honest with you, a Sasunaruneji was what this fanfic was originally supposed to be. At least I started it telling my friend "I'm going to write a Sasunaruneji. Then Naruto had to show no interest in Neji and that just screwed everything over anyway. Mmm…I love Sasuke obsession. I tend to get drawn to all the prettyboy jerks in animes.

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Chapter 9: Confrontation

The next time he laid eyes on that new kid, Sasuke was going to hurt him. He growled and squirted another large glob of shampoo into his hand. This was his third washing and he still had sand in his hair. That exchange student had no right to be nosing into other peoples' business. Sasuke couldn't believe Neji would follow such a strange kid. For all he knew the boy ate babies or something.

Sasuke rinsed his hair, unable to get the scowl that was plastered onto his face to wash off. The kid was creepy looking for sure, and Sasuke was angered that he was useless against fighting the sand the boy had brought to life. He'd need to train harder. Sand just wasn't an enemy he thought he'd ever have to face, but apparently it was effective.

The redhead looked like he could easily break if Sasuke was able to penetrate his sand defenses. He was small and scrawny, and probably not fit for physical combat. Sasuke cracked his knuckles. A nice beating would do well, and put that creep in his place. Making enemies with Uchiha Sasuke was not smart. Everyone else had heeded that lesson, and it was about time the new kid learned as well.

- - -

In class the next day, Neji was once again counting his exits. Though Sasuke and Naruto's advances weren't coming as often as they had been, he was still on the edge. They would strike again soon. Sure enough, when the bell rang, the two approached Neji. To the brunette's surprise, he saw Gaara waiting for him at the door. Relieved that he would be able to slip out and avoid the uncomfortable situation with the two quarrelling boys, Neji hurried over to join him.

Gaara turned to head out when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Sasuke pushed him roughly around so that sand-nin was facing him. "Just who the hell do you think you are?" Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes. Gaara did not answer and just regarded Sasuke calmly, which only proved to anger the nin more. "You stay away from Neji."

"He should be free to go wherever he wishes," Gaara replied simply. "Leave it for him to decide what he wants to do."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "That's it, I don't know why, but you seriously rub me the wrong way, and I still need to get you for what you did yesterday."

Neji tensed as Sasuke lunged towards Gaara. The boy with the gourd only smirked in his unnerving way.

"Uchiha!" The sensei's voice cut through the quiet of the room, stopping Sasuke in his tracks. Neji whirled around quickly. He hadn't realized that the sensei was still there, and by Sasuke's face, the offending nin didn't seem to either. "Leave the training to outside the room. I do not want things broken. And if you're just picking on the new student—which I sincerely hope you are not—then you'll be quite sorry indeed. Regardless, aren't you supposed to be serving your punishment now?"

Sasuke glared at his feet. "Yes, sensei."

"Well, then get to it. As for the rest of you, class is over, so unless you have any more questions I would suggest you get going."

Neji nodded and walked out with the others. Sasuke gave a menacing look at Gaara before stomping off to where they were building the wall. Gaara's smirk never left his face, and he watched Sasuke walk off. Naruto seemed to be debating with himself over something, and was about to speak, but seemed to think the better of it and walked off as well. Neji was left standing alone with Gaara, whose face had returned to its regular stoic mask.

"You didn't have to wait for me again today," Neji finally said, wanting desperately to break the awkward silence.

"Would you rather I didn't?" Gaara asked.

Neji was struck dumbfounded by that statement. Gaara always seemed to say the most unexpected things so simply and to the point. Neji fumbled with an answer. "Well, I am glad you stayed, but you really don't have to go out of your way to do that for me."

Gaara shrugged. "We go out the same door. It's no trouble to leave a few minutes later than everyone else. I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere."

"I guess." Neji was still surprised that this boy was being so nice to him. Still, there was no reason he shouldn't be. It was probably lonely to arrive in a new place where you knew nobody and you were regarded at a distance. Perhaps Gaara wanted a friend, and chose Neji. Neji wasn't very good at making friends, but he could put some effort in for Gaara. After all, the sand-boy had put some effort in for him. "Would you like me to show you around?"

Gaara considered for a moment and nodded.

Neji smiled and began to take the nin around the village and the surrounding forest, acquainting the newcomer with what there was to see. Neji found it unnerving how he couldn't read the boy's expression. He couldn't tell whether Gaara was enjoying himself or if he was just humoring Neji. The boy did listen intently to what Neji had to say, rarely dropping in a brief comment of his own.

As they made their way past the construction site, Neji saw Sasuke carrying large stones towards the wall. Their gazes met for an instant, and Sasuke gave a cold glare to Neji, and an even colder one to Gaara. It didn't last long and Sasuke quickly turned away and ignored them for the rest of the time.

"Rude little boy, isn't he?" Gaara stated, walking off. Neji paused and looked behind him at Sasuke, then hurried to catch up.

"How did you know what they were doing?" Neji asked, walking beside the redhead.

"It was rather obvious," Gaara said simply. "I sit behind you in class and noticed how your discomfort seemed to grow day after day. Finally, I decided to step in and stop this nonsense. It's cruel of them to use you in their little game."

"Yeah," Neji agreed. They walked in silence for a while. "So where are you staying?" Neji finally asked.

Gaara raised his arm and pointed to a building not too far away.

Neji nodded. "That's a nice place. I knew someone who used to live there."

The sand-nin said nothing and continued to walk. The sun had started to set and everything was cast in a reddish glow.

When the silence had carried on for another minute or so, Neji spoke again. "I think I better head back. I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

Gaara just looked at him and nodded, walking off silently to his home.

"What a strange kid…" Neji thought aloud as he watched Gaara leave. He turned and started to head back to his own house. On the way, he passed the wall again. The workers were all gone, but Sasuke was still there, carrying slabs of rock from the wagon to the wall.

Neji was surprised that Sasuke was still working. He didn't have to, everyone else had quit for the day, and sensei was not that strict. "What are you still doing here?" Neji asked after watching Sasuke for a while.

Sasuke didn't even slow his movements as he carried the next chunk of rock to the wall. His eyes turned to focus on Neji briefly. The dying sunlight reflected orange and red highlights over his hair and in his eyes. The Uchiha boy continued his work and did not look at Neji again. Neji tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"What's wrong with you? If anyone should be huffy, it should be me for the way you've been acting lately. Why are you suddenly pretending I don't exist Uchiha? You worked so hard the past week doing anything and everything to get my attention. Look at me Uchiha!" Neji was getting really irritated with Sasuke's behaviour. While he did not like to have the spotlight entirely on him like it was recently, he also disliked being totally ignored. There was no reason for it either.

Still, Sasuke carried the stones back and forth as if he were the only person there. His eyes never met Neji's again. Frustrated and angered, Neji turned away. "Fine. No wonder Naruto finds you to be such an ass sometimes. It's nice not to have you hounding me anymore anyway. Have fun wearing yourself out, and leave me alone in class from now on. If you see Naruto, pass that message along to him as well. I'm no longer going to be your toy." With that, Neji stomped away.

Sasuke watched him disappear over the hill in the fading sunlight. Part of him felt guilty for how he had acted with Neji, but an even larger portion felt betrayed. He continued to carry the rocks even as the last bits of sun faded and the stars began to twinkle overhead.

* * *

Well, since I'm starting to get rather far ahead (I wrote quite a bit yesterday) I'll post multiple chapters to catch up and keep you guys happy. Stupid chapters not showing up right away... I'll post these this morning and they wont be readable until tonight most likely. 'rolls eyes' (lol, I found out my stars for my actions keep getting eaten so I've settled for ') 


	10. The Last Stand

Next chapter update. Go me. Naruto's P.O.V. First time it wasn't too difficult for me to write.

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Chapter 10: The Last Stand

What a beautiful sunny day. Naruto hummed and walked along the path thinking how well everything was turning out. With the new kid, Sasuke couldn't get close enough to Neji to try anything, and thus his means of attack was taken away. With nothing left, Sasuke just needed a bit of persuasion. Naruto knocked on his door.

A very sleepy-eyed Sasuke opened the door. He yawned and looked annoyed at his early-morning visitor.

Naruto smirked. "Up all night brooding, eh? What are you going to do now that you can't get at Neji?" He let himself in and sat comfortably in a chair. Sasuke made no move to protest, and simply collapsed back to lying down on the couch and closing his eyes.

The blonde watched his boyfriend for a few moments. Sasuke seriously looked like he had been up all night. Black bags hung under his eyes, and he held his arm over his head to partially keep the morning sun out of his face. He still had dirt smudges all over himself from working the day before.

The blonde began to talk to the boy on the couch. "So, I take it you've been doing some thinking. You had better be doubly sorry now, because I don't like how you actually went through with some stuff with that Hyuuga just to make me mad. But if you apologize I'll just let bygones be bygones and you can start over with a clean slate." Naruto watched Sasuke motionless on the couch. He didn't even know if the nin was awake and listening.

He waited for a moment, but still no answer came. "Look, I'll come back later when you're conscious and we can talk." Naruto stood up and was half way out the door when he heard Sasuke speak for the first time that morning.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto froze in surprise, and then grinned. "Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He began walking back to his koibito, glad that their fight was finally resolved.

"I don't want to see you anymore."

Naruto froze in his tracks. Did he hear that right? "W-what?" he managed to stammer out.

Sasuke didn't move or open his eyes. It even looked like he had fallen asleep again.

The fox-child was struck dumb by Sasuke's statement. "You're not breaking up with me, right?"

Again, Sasuke did not answer. Naruto continued his trek to the couch and sat down on a small part that was free. "Don't do that to me Sasuke! You scared me half to death. Look, I'll come back later on today when you're in a better mood, k?" He reached out to stroke his koi's cheek, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist suddenly before he could.

Uchiha's eyes opened and held Naruto's wrist back as he spoke. "I'm sorry Naruto. This is the end."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He wasn't expecting this. Perhaps he had come at a bad time, maybe Sasuke's head was just clouded by exhaustion. If anyone had a right to start a break-up, it was him, since Sasuke had cheated on him during the fight. His former koibito released Naruto's wrist. "Leave please." Sasuke reshut his eyes.

Naruto stumbled up, tears blurring his vision. "You don't mean that."

Sasuke once again did not reply.

"You jerk Uchiha!" Naruto found himself screaming. "YOU GODDAMN JACKASS!" Naruto snarled and grabbed a pillow and chucked it at Sasuke. It bounced off the boy and landed on the floor. "We were supposed to let bygones be bygones! What the hell are you playing at? Open up your eyes and look at me goddamit!" Naruto buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. Sure, he was mad at Sasuke, and he wasn't any better at admitting fault and ending the fight, but this was going too far. He still loved his ex, and couldn't believe that Sasuke had just stopped loving him. "Fine Sasuke! I'm sorry for what happened! I'm sorry for the fight, I'm sorry for the ramen convention and I'm sorry for bothering you this early in the morning! Ok! There! Now take back what you said!"

Sasuke didn't bother to open his eyes. "Goodbye Naruto."

Naruto clutched his stomach. He all of a sudden didn't feel well. The blonde stumbled out of Sasuke's house after slamming the door. He winced against the bright light and cursed the sunlight for being so cheery. "WHY ISN'T IT RAINING?" Naruto screamed at all the injustice in the world. He couldn't stop the tears that were cascading down his face. Sure it was a big fight they had, but they had gotten through worse before. Their relationship was stronger than that. Why did Sasuke turn him away?

Somehow Naruto managed to stumble back to his home. The door was still off its hinges. It was warm out, and Naruto was too lazy to get it fixed anyway. He tripped over all the rubble and fell, sobbing onto his knees. His fingers dug into the rug on the floor as he tried to get rid of all the feelings of anguish and shock that bore upon him like a lead weight in his chest.

- - -

Back at Sasuke's house, the boy had not moved from his place on the couch. He continued to shield his eyes from the sun and tried to fall back asleep. Too much had happened that morning in such a short time, but that was not to be helped. He would feel better once he had rested. Sasuke rolled over and curled up to sleep, wiping a lone tear from his cheek with the back of his hand.

* * *

Aww…this chapter was so painful to write. I'd like to say that they both got what was coming to them, but really it was only their stubbornness over such a stupid fight. Hopefully things will get happier in the following chapters. 


	11. Liberation

These chapters just keep on coming. Once again, thanks to my reviewers. You guys give me enough courage to actually post the chapters and not hide them away to collect dust on my computer. I love you all. :)

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Chapter 11: Liberation

The next few days flew by for Neji. Sasuke had stopped bothering him in class, and Naruto didn't even show up for a few days. When he did, he was strangely quiet and subdued. Neji didn't give it much thought and figured that their fight had finally gotten resolved. It was good for them and better for him now that he didn't have to worry about being put in an uncomfortable position again. He had hung out with Gaara over the course of the week, but still felt like he didn't know the boy any better. It was nice spending time with him, though. Gaara had a lot of interesting stories to tell of places he had been and the things he had seen.

Even if there was no need for it anymore, Gaara still waited for Neji after class. They would walk out together, and often stopped to laze around by the lake while the afternoon was warm. Gaara still refused to go swimming for some reason, and Neji often ended up diving in on his own while the redhead watched from the shore.

Neji was starting to like the thought of having a friend. He supposed that Sasuke and Naruto were his friends, but after the way they had treated him, he felt emotionally distant. He hadn't spoken to either of them in a while, since he was always off spending time with Gaara. He was surprised when he heard a familiar voice intrude into the sunny afternoon while he was swimming in the lake.

"What, can't he swim, or is he afraid he'll turn to mud?"

Neji quickly turned around to see Sasuke in the lake with him. When did he come in? The dark-haired boy treaded water lazily, watching the sand-nin sitting on the shore.

"I don't know," Neji admitted, still slightly surprised that Sasuke was there. "Why are you here? I see you're talking to me now. Did your PMS end or something?"

Sasuke made a face. "Very funny Hyuuga. I'm free to swim where I want and talk to whom I please, when I please."

Neji shrugged and brushed the wet hair out of his face. "You're really had the split personality thing going for a while." The brunette narrowed his eyes. "Or you still aren't trying to use me against Naruto, are you? Because I told you I'm finished with that."

Sasuke looked him straight in the eye with a dark look. "Naruto and I broke up a week ago."

"Oh." Neji cursed himself for being unable to say anything more constructive. At the same time, he was shocked at the news. He really hadn't expected the fight to break the two up, especially since it seemed that both were partially enjoying the excitement of it. "Well…I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Sasuke said, returning his gaze to the shoreline.

Neji turned to look and saw Gaara sitting where he was before, except some dirt seemed to be swirling around him. Neji found it odd, since there wasn't any wind. The redhead didn't move or stand, so he figured it was nothing serious. He turned back to focus on Sasuke. "So who broke off?"

"I did." Sasuke said, bringing his attention back to Neji.

Neji was once again surprised. He would've sworn that Naruto would have been the one to finally get fed up. Then again, Naruto was so unbelievably stubborn that maybe he wouldn't have resolved to end the fight in such a dramatic way. Still, Neji could find nothing to respond to Sasuke's statement and simply shrugged his shoulders again. Sasuke wasn't looking at him to see this. Instead, he was watching Gaara again.

"How the heck do you trust that creep?" he asked suddenly.

Neji was getting thrown off a lot today. "What?" he asked, wondering if he heard correctly.

"I mean look at him. Look how he sits. Look how he watches you. It would personally freak me out. I mean, do you even know anything about him?"

Neji folded his arms. "For your information, he has been very kind to me, and hasn't made me feel uncomfortable like _some_ people."

Sasuke seemed to ignore him. "I don't trust him," he growled, as if that remark was absolute.

Neji found himself getting slightly irritated. "I never took you for a prejudice one, Uchiha."

"If prejudice means disliking him, then I'm guilty." Sasuke shot a deathglare at Gaara on the shore, and Neji couldn't see from such a distance, but he was pretty sure that Gaara returned it as well.

"You don't have to speak ill of my friend in my presence," Neji said, annoyed.

Sasuke gave him a skeptical look. "THE Hyuuga Neji has a friend? I thought you were in a social class of your own."

"Look at the kettle calling the pot black," Neji retorted.

"Touche."

Neji began to swim towards shore.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke questioned, paddling behind him.

"I've been in the water for nearly half an hour now. I don't want my skin to wrinkle." It was vain, but Neji liked to keep his looks as a high priority.

"Then would you mind coming with me to get something to eat?"

Neji paddled around to face Sasuke. "Are you positive that you broke up with Naruto and you aren't just trying to trick me to get the upper hand in your little fight?"

"Look, Neji, I told you we were through and we are. What's your problem with my request?"

Neji sighed. "I just find it a little hard to swallow after the way you've been treating me lately."

"I just asked if you wanted to get a bite to eat. If you don't want to go, then I'll go alone. You don't have to get all bitchy about it."

Neji's eyes softened. "I'm sorry Sasuke. I guess I got a little paranoid. Sure, I'll go with you. I'll ask Gaara if he wants to come along."

Sasuke folded his arms. "I didn't invite him."

Neji glared. "Well I'm not running off and leaving him to go and do something else. That's rather unfair and mean. So if you really don't want to be in the same building as him, then you can forget about me coming as well."

"Fine, fine. He can come." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

The brunette raised his eyebrow and walked out of the lake. Gaara was standing to meet him, and handed Neji a towel. Neji dried himself off and grabbed his shirt, pulling his pants over his slightly damp swim trunks. They were dark pants anyway, so if any wetness seeped through it wouldn't be all that noticeable. Neji wasn't going to walk all the way back to his house to get changed, and didn't feel comfortable changing with both Gaara and Sasuke there. Neji tossed Sasuke his towel as the nin stepped out of the lake. Sasuke caught it and nodded a thanks before drying himself off with it. While he was busy doing that, Neji turned to Gaara, whose lip corners seemed to be turned down more than usual.

"Sasuke and I are going to get something to eat. Want to come?" he offered.

Gaara folded his arms and nodded once.

Neji smiled. "Great. Almost ready Sasuke?"

Sasuke was pulling on his shirt and nodded.

Neji smiled at the two of them and began to walk off into town. Gaara and Sasuke walked on either side, keeping the brunette in between them. Neji thought it was a good idea anyway, since he couldn't miss the glares the two where shooting at each other. On the way to the restaurant, the saw Naruto sitting in a ramen booth. The blonde watched as they walked past.

"You want to invite him too? He looks a little lonely," Neji suggested to Sasuke under his breath.

Sasuke kept walking straight ahead. "He doesn't eat real food anyway, and I'm not going to a ramen bar."

Neji shrugged and gave a slight smile to Naruto before following his two companions. Naruto wasn't even looking anymore, and instead was digging his face into another ramen bowl. Well, he appeared fine anyway. Neji followed Sasuke into a restaurant, Gaara close behind him. It wasn't a fancy place, but it also wasn't a cheap and dingy eatery. Sasuke slid into the booth, gesturing to the spot next to him. Neji sat down, and Gaara took his place on the other side of him. Suddenly, Neji felt very uncomfortable, trapped even. He picked up the menu and began to leaf through the contents. Gaara left his menu untouched in front of him.

"Aren't you going to have anything?" Neji asked, worried. Gaara appeared malnourished as he was, and a meal would probably do him some good. The sand-nin noticed the Hyuuga's concerned look, and flipped through the appetizers to ease it. Neji smiled and turned back to his menu. Sasuke had already apparently decided and had already folded his menu neatly in front of him.

Neji was struck with indecision. The restaurant had gotten in some new dishes since he had come here last, and they all sounded delicious. He shot a helpless look at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked and pointed at an item on the menu. "I'd recommend the steak. I had it a few days ago, and it was well worth it."

Neji nodded and closed his menu. "Thanks. I'll go for that then."

They each gave their orders to the waitress, Gaara only taking a side-order of mozzarella sticks.

"You sure you don't want anything else?" Neji asked. "If you're short on cash, I can lend you some."

The nin shook his head and assured Neji that it was alright. "I'm just not hungry."

Neji shrugged and left it at that and began to have a conversation with Sasuke. It was nice. This was the first time he'd talk to Sasuke in a while where there wasn't a tinge of tenseness. Neji also tried to get Gaara involved in the talk so as not to make him feel left out, but it was apparent that Gaara was not much of a speaker. He instead sat and listened as Neji and Sasuke laughed and talked about various things. Their orders arrived, and Neji was impressed with how his meal looked. It didn't taste all that bad either, and Neji had to remind himself to at least chew five times per mouthful in order to keep from stuffing his face rudely.

Gaara nibbled slightly at his mozzarella sticks, and didn't get too far with them. Neji noticed and forked up some of his mashed potatoes and gravy. "Here, you can try some of mine. It's really good." Without giving Gaara a chance to protest, he shoved his fork at the redhead's mouth. Gaara opened it automatically, and Neji spooned the potatoes in. "Good?"

Gaara choked slightly in surprised, but swallowed the food and nodded, smiling slightly at Neji. Sasuke glowered from Neji's other side. "You can try a bit of mine if you'd like," he offered.

Neji smiled. "Thanks Sasuke, but I'm going to have a hard enough time finishing my meal. Your stuff looks good though." They finished the rest of their meals in silence, and Neji felt a slight bit of tension redescending over the table. Neji shifted uncomfortably and tried his best to break it. "I'm stuffed, but does anyone want to split a dessert?"

"Sure," shrugged Sasuke. "Your choice. I'm not all that picky."

"Gaara?" offered Neji. To his disappointment, the sand-nin shook his head. "Ok then, let's see what they have," Neji said, picking up the dessert menu. "The apple crumble looks good, and so does the cheesecake, but I'm actually dying to try their new sundae. It's on sale too. All right with you Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded. "Sounds good."

"You sure you don't want any?" Neji asked, putting on his best pouty face for Gaara.

Gaara just smirked and shook his head. Neji shrugged and ordered the sundae. It came a few minutes later, and looked absolutely mouthwatering. Instantly Sasuke and Neji's eyes locked and they both said at the same time "I get the cherry."

Sasuke smirked at Neij. "What makes you think you're going to get it Hyuuga?"

Neji grinned back. "Because it was my idea to get the sundae in the first place."

"Well, it was my idea to come to this restaurant," countered Sasuke, cocking an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Well I'm cuter," Neji said, sticking out his tongue.

Sasuke folded his arms. "Now that's a tough one, but I'd have to say I'm a notch or two above you."

"Jerk," smirked Neji. "You wish you were."

Sasuke smiled smugly back and plucked the cherry off the sundae. Neji opened his mouth to protest, but was surprised to have the cherry pop in. "Fine, you win. Enjoy. I'll start on the sundae while the hotsauce is still warm." Sasuke picked up a spoon and began to eat, giving Neji an amused look. "You wanted that cherry so badly, so are you going to eat it or sit there with your mouth hanging open?"

Neji laughed slightly and ate the cherry. "You just surprised me." In all that, the Hyuuga had completely forgotten Gaara's presence. "I'm sorry," he apologized, turning back to Gaara. "I got a little carried away there."

Gaara shook his head and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it."

Neji smiled and returned to eating the sundae before Sasuke finished it all. This was nice. Neji forgot all about the stress he had gone through in the previous couple of weeks and just allowed himself to enjoy the rest of the night. He had thought it would've turned out more disastrous, but a food fight hadn't even broken out between Gaara and Sasuke, to which Neji was very grateful. The three paid their bills and left the restaurant, Neji being in rather high spirits. They reached a crossroads, and Sasuke pulled Neji aside just as he was about to go on the path towards his home. Gaara stood patiently a few feet away with his arms folded, not going down his own street.

Sasuke spoke in a low voice to Neji to keep Gaara from overhearing. "Neji, do you want to drop by my place for a bit?"

Neji blinked. "I take it this offer is only directed at me."

Sasuke's look darkened. "Yes."

The brunette nodded, and felt rather uncomfortable again. "Well, thanks for the offer, but I'm tired so I think I'll just go home and sleep."

Sasuke nodded and turned away to hide the disappointment on his face. "Anytime you want, feel free to drop by."

Neji nodded politely. "I'll keep that in mind." He really wasn't sure if he felt comfortable enough to go to Sasuke's house. Not after that one night he stayed there. He turned and walked down his street, noticing that Gaara only began to leave once he saw Neji going. Once home, Neji yawned and curled up in his bed, feeling better than he had in a while. He smiled and nuzzled his face into his pillow, glad that he was at least on regular speaking terms with Sasuke again.

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Lol, Gaara reminds me of me sometimes when I'm at restaurants. I usually end up not being hungry or eating stupidly beforehand. Except unlike Gaara, I will not turn down a dessert. :D Still, the company is always worth it, regardless if I get a meal or not. There certainly seems to be an unpleasant clash between Gaara and Sasuke. Things will probably get interesting… 


	12. Painful Memories

A little more SasuNaru angst coming your way. A pretty short chapter too. Then again, the last one was a slightly lengthy, so I guess it evens out.

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Chapter 12: Painful Memories

Sasuke headed back to his flat feeling rather empty. He had hoped that he would be able to convince Neji to follow him back. The sand-nin being there didn't help matters, and Sasuke was sure that he could've persuaded the Hyuuga if it had not been for him. Entering his home, Sasuke realized that it was probably for the best Neji had turned him down.

"What are you doing here?" he asked a Naruto he found sitting on his couch. Sasuke slid his shoes off and walked over.

The blonde regarded his ex. "I guess you had fun."

Sasuke nodded. "What are you doing here?" he repeated, also taking a seat on the couch.

Naruto gave a soft sigh and looked down at the floor. "I miss you," he said in a barely audible voice. "It hurts sitting alone and not having anyone to talk to. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"We're finished," Sasuke stated firmly, and he saw Naruto cringe. Regardless of how the bluntness made Naruto feel, Sasuke had to get the message across. It would've looked really bad if he had brought Neji home, only for the two of them to discover Naruto waiting on the couch. Neji would jump to the conclusion that he was still being used, and that Sasuke had lied to him about the breakup.

"But I don't want us to be finished!" protested Naruto, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "You're the only one I have."

Sasuke kept his exterior cold and distant. "Perhaps you should find yourself someone else."

"But I don't want anyone else!" shouted Naruto, grabbing Sasuke and clinging to him while trying to hold back his tears. "I want you. I love you." The blonde buried his face in Sasuke's chest.

The dark-haired nin felt a part of him soften a little, but he still did not return Naruto's desperate hug. The fox-child had to learn, and encouraging him otherwise would not be helpful in the process.

"Sasu-chan…please…" Naruto looked up at him with watery blue eyes.

Sasuke mentally winced to hear his pet-name again, and looked away from Naruto. He was surprised to have his face forced forward, and Naruto's lips latched onto his own. Sasuke relaxed into the familiar kiss without thinking, before coming to his senses and pulling away. "No Naruto. It's over."

"Sasu! What do I have to do to get you to love me again? What did I do wrong? How can I fix it, because I swear I'll do anything to be with you again!" Naruto clutched onto Sasuke's hand, nuzzling his face into the back of it as Sasuke stood up.

"Leave Naruto."

"Sasu-chan, please don't kick me out."

Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, feeling the wetness of tears on the back of his hand and Naruto buried his face in it. He found himself forcing the words out of his mouth. "Please Naruto…just go."

"You don't mean that."

"I DO!" Sasuke suddenly yelled, whirling around. Naruto let go of his hand and looked up at his ex in shock. Sasuke took a few deep breaths and turned away. "Just get out."

Naruto silently stood up and wrapped his arms around Sasuke from behind. "I wont give up."

Sasuke stood stiffly. "I don't want to see you here again. If I do, then I'm not responsible for my actions. Now go."

Naruto slowly released his hold on Sasuke, who didn't even bother turning around as he heard the blonde slowly walk out and open and shut the door. Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled, shutting his eyes. He didn't like to admit even to himself how difficult throwing Naruto out was. The aftertaste of his former boyfriend still played around his lips and Sasuke had to wrench that paired emotion out and shove it in the very depths of himself where it could not torment him any longer.

Naruto would be fine without him. He'd find someone new. He'd be happy in no time. Sasuke convinced himself of this as he walked to his bed and collapsed onto the soft comfortable sheets. He'd have to get new ones. The old ones held far too many painful memories that he'd just have to deal with for tonight. Sasuke shut his eyes and forced himself into a restless sleep. It was going to be a long and lonely night.

* * *

Aww…part of me wants them back together, but the other part is revelling in the thought of a single Sasuke. Well, Neji's sleeping well, and Sasuke and Naruto are not. I'm not even sure if Gaara is sleeping, but I suppose that's irrelevant. I'm still debating over to write in Gaara's point of view. To be honest, it would be weird for me, and I'm not sure I want to somehow take away the 'mysteriousness' that seems to hang around him. 


	13. Confusion

Away from all that angst and back to Neji's P.O.V.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Lol, you're a fickle one, aren't you? Again we'll have to see what happens. As Naruto said, he wasn't going to give up. I'm glad my chapters appeared within a couple hours after I had sent them. The single one I sent yesterday took ALL DAY just to post, which annoyed me to no end.

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Chapter 13: Confusion

Neji shut his eyes, basking in the sunlight that lay like a warm blanket over his whole body. His hair splayed out under his head, mingling with the fresh shoots of grass. Could there really be a more perfect day? He turned his head and opened his eyes, smiling at the quiet boy sitting next to him. A ladybug crawled lazily across the gourd strapped to his back. Gaara was watching the village spread out below him from their vantage point on the hill. Neji rolled onto his stomach and took in the view as well.

"Are you glad you came here?" he asked, curious to know if the sand-nin missed home.

Gaara nodded slightly but said nothing.

Neji sighed. Gaara was so distant, yet at the same time Neji could feel his presence always near him. He thought Sasuke could be quiet and mysterious before he met the strange redhead.

"What was it like? Your village?" Neji questioned, hoping to spark a little more conversation. He really wanted to know Gaara better, if only the boy would let him.

"A lot less grass," the nin answered simply. Always short and to the point. Neji gave up trying to strike up more talk. He knew personally that he didn't like to be pestered.

The grass blades tickled his arms and Neji shifted them, nearly loosing balance and rolling down the hill. Gaara caught him by the back of his shirt to prevent such a situation, and held on until Neji had gotten his balance again. The Hyuuga's cheeks were stained pink and he mumbled a thank you. That would've been embarrassing, rolling down the grassy hill right to the base of the village. It was a long way up, and though he doubted he would get physically injured, he was sure his pride would need a trip to the hospital afterwards.

The silence carried on, broken only by the chirping of birds in the trees overhead. Neji once again shifted his position, now sitting up beside Gaara and leaning his back against the tree trunk. He marveled at how well the sand-nin could sit still for so long. Neji himself found himself changing his position every five minutes or so. They had been up on the hill for over an hour, and Gaara didn't move once. It certainly didn't look comfortable sitting slouched over like that with a heavy gourd always bearing him down. Neji had considered asking why he carried it around, but figured it would be rude.

Neji let the silence drag on for another ten minutes until he couldn't stand it anymore. "So what do you want to do after this?"

Gaara simply shrugged, still watching the village.

The brunette was a fool to think breaking the quiet was going to be easy. "Well, we could always go down to the lake again, but I'd really wish you'd join me in the water. If you can't swim, I can teach you. I promise I wont tell anyone."

Gaara turned his emerald eyes onto Neji for the first time in nearly an hour. "What makes you think I can't swim?"

Neji shrugged. "Well, I only figured that was the case since you never wanted to go in, and I've never seen that gourd leave your back. It must be near impossible to swim with that thing on." It was only after the words had come out that Neji realized how stupid his blabbering sounded.

Gaara's expression didn't changed—then again, when did it ever?—and he tilted his head to the side. "I just dislike water."

"Okay," Neji said, not wanting to press farther. He had been friends with Gaara for over two weeks now, and still he found himself at a dead-end when it came to communicating with the nin.

Gaara kept his head tilted to the side, and shocked Neji by actually saying something without prompting. "What is troubling you?"

The pale-eyed Hyuuga blinked. He looked down and played with the grass at his feet to avoid the redhead's penetrating stare. "It just feels weird sometimes being with you. Like you're not really here. I mean, I don't know much about you and I want to—" Neji looked up and found Gaara's face suddenly very close to his own.

'_He's going to kiss me!'_ he thought in panic, totally thrown off guard. Something in his head was not computing. How does one go from talking about disliking water to kissing someone? In many ways, Neji was not adverse to the idea of feeling the sand-nin's lips on his own. He fluttered his eyes closed and waited for redhead to close the gap and make the moment complete.

Neji sat there for a few seconds with his eyes shut before he registered that nothing was happening. Wondering just what the redhead was waiting for, he cracked open one eye to find Gaara watching the village again. Instantly, the Hyuuga snapped his eyes open, straightened up (he had been leaning forward), and brushed off his shirt to distract himself from what he had been doing. Just how long was he sitting there with his eyes shut, puckering his lips like a lovesick schoolgirl? Neji was embarrassed and disgusted with himself. The one time he tried to read Gaara and he apparently read wrong. He had hoped the sand-nin hadn't notice the idiot Neji had made of himself.

"Were you going to kiss me?" Fuck, where did that come from! Neji mentally kicked himself and braced himself for Gaara's laugh. Then again, Gaara did not laugh.

Instead his eyes turned to Neji once more. "What do you think?"

"Well, I don't know, that's why I asked?" Neji found himself retorting.

Gaara just smirked and shut his eyes.

"Well were you?" Neji asked anxiously. His fingers dug into the grass and soil in nervousness. He had to know.

"You're too pretty for me."

Neji was bowled over. He quickly got to his feet, his fists clutched to his side. "What is that supposed to mean!" His offense radar was blaring and the defenses to his ego hadn't fully come up yet.

Gaara said nothing more and watched the scenery below.

Neji sat huffily. Gaara was confusing and insulting (yet not). Of course Neji prided himself on his looks, but the way Gaara had said it made him feel weak and girly. Why couldn't he word it differently? Pretty? Neji cringed. No more words were exchanged between the two until Neji finally stood up and announced he was going to head back home. Gaara offered to accompany him, an offer that Neji turned down. He was still a little hurt by the comment, but didn't want to show it.

Neji stomped down the path, leaving the sand-nin on the hill. His cheeks still were red from remembering what had happened. Was he really so desperate? It wasn't often Hyuuga Neji threw caution to the winds, and now he remembered why. He was thankful for once that Gaara was not the talkative type. To think what would happen if word got around that Neji was completely giving himself away to someone who didn't return such feelings. Argh, he was so stupid!

Neji kicked a rock in anger. It went sailing off into the bushes.

"Ow!"

The brunette paused. Bushes normally did not give cries of pain. "Who's there?" he called out, suddenly paranoid. Did they see what he had done? Were they going to tell everyone and lower the Hyuuga reputation to that of a skank?

Spiky blonde hair made itself visible in the mass of green as Naruto, sporting a bruise on his cheek, walked out looking angry. "What the hell do you think you're doing, chucking rocks Hyuuga?"

Neji blinked in surprise then narrowed them suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto cursed and rubbed his sore cheek. "Taking a walk, what does it look like?"

"You're not on the path," Neji noted.

"I never take the paths," Naruto remarked. "It keeps the mockery from others to a minimum." The fox-child seemed to be in an especially foul mood today, and the rock didn't seem to make it any better. "Next time, watch where you're aiming."

"I'm sorry," Neji apologized. Naruto was too far down the hill to have seen what happened with Gaara at the top, which put the brunette's mind at ease.

Naruto snorted and started to walk back into the bushes.

"Enjoy your walk," Neji called out after him.

The blonde just turned and shot Neji a hateful look. Neji blinked, confused. What was his problem? Neji had apologized, and the bruise wasn't _that _bad. He was about to ask the nin himself what was wrong, but Naruto had already disappeared into the forest. Resolving that he would ask him about it later, Neji continued on the path that led into the village.

* * *

I'm posting as many chapters as I can today, because I'll be stuck with work come Monday for the rest of the week. The frequency of chapters will probably go down during then, and hopefully increase when the weekend comes again. I'm really screwed when it comes to my piano lessons…I'm writing this instead of practicing. ; 


	14. A New Beginning

This is a rather short chapter. It switches randomly between the P.O.V.s of Sasuke and Neji, but it shouldn't be confusing or anything.

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Chapter 14: A New Beginning

Sasuke walked out of the store, the new sheets bundled under his arms. All the start of a fresh beginning. Naruto's pained face was still imprinted in his mind. Sasuke shut his eyes, trying to eradicate the image from his memory. He couldn't stay with his former koi. Not now. He didn't want to hurt him anymore. Generally, walking with one's eyes shut is not the best way to get from place to place. It proves ineffective, as it is quite difficult to see where one is going. Sasuke realized this as he crashed into something.

He cursed and grabbed the sheets he had dropped, raising his eyes to see who he had run into. Please don't let it be Naruto. Pale white eyes announced the presence of Hyuuga Neji, who looked a little dazed and concerned. Normally, Sasuke would've snapped at the person to watch where they were going—even if the collision had been his fault—but he swallowed those words and held out his hand to help Neji up. "Sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Neji took his hand and smirked. "I had noticed." The two boys got up, Sasuke not releasing Neji's hand. "Um…Sasuke," Neji whispered, "We're drawing attention."

Sasuke darted his eyes and noticed that a few people had stopped and were watching. He let go of Neji's hand and busied himself reassorting the sheets under his arm.

"New bed sheets?" Neji casually asked.

Sasuke nodded and began walking through the town. Neji followed, as his home was on the way. "Thirsty?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

Neji nodded. "It is a warm day, but I can just get something at home."

"You want to help me carry these?" It did look like quite a bit under the nin's arm.

"Sure," Neji agreed, taking half of the load into his arms. "You've got dirt all over them."

Sasuke shrugged. "I can wash them at home. It's no big deal. I was going to wash them anyway after I got back from the store." He kept walking, Neji by his side. Sasuke felt a bit of comfort in Neji's presence. Looking at him, Naruto's image didn't plague his mind so easily. Sasuke was grateful for this, and he unlocked his door when they arrived. "Just throw them on the floor," he instructed, walking off to the kitchen to fill a basin with water.

Neji did so and then stood there nervously, unsure of what to do next. "I'll just be heading out then," he called out to the empty room.

Sasuke walked out of the kitchen, holding two glasses of lemonade. "Didn't you say you were thirsty?"

Neji smiled and thanked Sasuke, taking a glass from him. The lemonade was nice and cool, with a nice sharp tang to it to balance the sweetness. The brunette smiled at Sasuke. "It's good."

Sasuke smiled and nodded. "I made it fresh this morning." He collapsed comfortably on the couch, resting his arm on the back of it while sipping on his drink. He paused and regarded Neji on the doorstep. "You can have a seat you know."

Neji nodded and paused before sitting on the couch. He felt a rush of warmth come over him as memories swirled in his head of the night he had stayed with Sasuke. Hesitantly, he took a seat beside the black-haired boy.

Sasuke watched Neji as he finished his drink. "Would you like any more?" he asked, standing.

Neji nodded, handing Sasuke his glass. Their fingers brushed past each other for a moment, and Sasuke could feel how warm the brunette's were. Sasuke headed back to the kitchen and poured more lemonade out of the pitcher. Before entering the living room again, Sasuke watched Neji from the door. The nin did not appear to notice the attention, and instead was casting his eyes around the various things in the room. Sasuke observed how smooth and pale the Hyuuga's skin was, complementing his eyes. His dark brown hair fell around smoothly, kept in order by the hair tie near the ends.

Sasuke remembered how Neji had looked when his hair was let out, flowing everywhere wildly like sleek twisting rivers of sepia. He recalled how vividly they contrasted against the white of his pillow, the smoothness of them as he ran his fingers through their tangled depths.

He must have been staring at Neji for a while, because the boy turned around to see what was keeping Sasuke in kitchen. A slight pink stained his cheeks as he realized he was being watched. The same colour they were when Sasuke had kissed them and caressed his hands over the Hyuuga's lithe body. Sasuke shook his head and snapped out of it, carrying the drink to Neji.

"Sorry for the wait."

"It's no problem." Neji focused his gaze on the liquid in his glass, nervous. Memories were flooding back for him as well from that night. He was all too aware of Sasuke's presence as he retook his spot beside him. A part of him felt drawn to the nin. He wanted to nuzzle into the other boy's neck and feel the same pleasing warmth of arms twining around him, cradling him. The memory of his embarrassing moment on the hill with Gaara snapped Neji out of his trance as he was just about to look up to meet Sasuke's dark eyes.

Neji quickly stood up and handed his glass to Sasuke. "I better head out now before I'm missed," he said, thinking what a lame excuse that was.

Sasuke looked at Neji's still full glass in his hand and nodded, standing as well. "I'll see you around?"

Neji nodded. "Yeah…" Damn, why did his voice crack? What was wrong with him? He had to get out of here fast.

Sasuke held the door open and watched the nin quickly walk out and off in the direction of his house. The dark-haired boy sighed and threw the excess lemonade into the grass before heading back in. He'd have to get started with washing those sheets so that he would have them dry and ready for bed that night. A slight ache returned in his chest as he remembered why he was changing them. It would pass in time. Doing his best to ignore it, Sasuke picked up the sheets and took them to the water basin.

* * *

Hehehe….lemonade….yet no lemon. ;) How unfair is that? 


	15. The Party

I just want to reiterate that Naruto does not belong to me. I realize I had gotten really lazy with my disclaimers, but does anyone here really believe I own Naruto? So since I know I'll keep forgetting to put the disclaimer on top of my chapters, let's settle this once and for all: **NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.** Now back to your regularly scheduled fic. :)

**Lala to the power of 2 **– Yeah, I noticed how the OOC was getting slightly out of hand, but it's so much harder to get out of it than it is to slip in. And yes the story is on cruise control, but I like it that way. More surprises for me.

**aura-chan the neko-jin **– I'm glad you like it.

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Chapter 15: The Party

The whole village was bustling with excitement. Some very important guests were coming from places across the nation in a special gathering. To top it all off and welcome the newcomers, plans were arranged for a party on the opening day. The sensei drilled his students on the importance of good impressions, and reminded them that it was a formal gathering. He also stated in none-too-vague terms what would happen if any of the students were to make a fool of themselves and disgrace the entire village. He seemed to be looking at Naruto when he said this, and added that there was to be no pranks whatsoever.

Neji would rather he not have to go, but it would be worse to skip out and then get caught doing so. They were all expected to attend and be good little representatives of what a wonderful village Kohana was. At least the girls were excited. Neji watched in amusement as a whole pack swarmed around Uchiha's desk to beg to be his date. It would take Sasuke a long time to turn down that many girls individually. Chances were he'd do what he normally did: agree to the first person who asked, and then ditch her at the party. Cruel, but effective.

Once again, Gaara was waiting for him at the door. Neji paused. This was the first time he'd seen Gaara since his embarrassing moment on the hill, and he wasn't sure how to go about it. The sand-nin probably wouldn't bring it up; he rarely started a conversation anyway. With that in mind, Neji swallowed and walked up to him, plastering a smile onto his face.

"It's a waste to smile if you don't mean it," was all Gaara said before heading out. Neji's fake smile faltered slightly as he followed the redhead. Gaara suddenly turned and regarded Neji. "Are you going with anyone to this party?"

Neji's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained inner composure. His outer one didn't falter a bit. He couldn't let it falter. The last time he had jumped to conclusions about Gaara, he just ended up in an embarrassing situation. He wasn't stupid enough to get dragged in twice. He made himself shrug nonchalantly and looked around. "I doubt it. Besides, some may find me to be far too pretty to want to go with me." Neji couldn't help but put that sardonic addition to his reply.

Gaara smirked. "Can't you tell when I'm joking?"

The brunette was caught off guard. Once again, he regained composure. "No, actually I can't."

The redhead shrugged. "I am often misunderstood."

Neji didn't want to venture to inquire whether Gaara was asking to go with him to the party for fear that he had misread the nin once again. He just wished his friend wasn't so incredibly confusing. Neji was still finding the right way to frame the question so that it wouldn't put him in a total dead-end, but never got the chance to verbalize it as Gaara had started to walk away. Instead he asked, "Where are you going?"

Gaara paused briefly and turned around. "I need to get something appropriate to wear. The sensei was very particular about the type of outfit he was looking for." With that, the sand-nin turned around and headed off for the center of town.

Neji paused to envision what Gaara would look like in a tux and the gourd still strapped to his back. It was almost impossible for him to imagine Gaara without it. It was like it was a part of him, and Neji wondered whether Gaara would indeed keep it on. The nin smirked, envisioning sensei's reaction if he saw the sand-nin with that gourd tonight.

Neji went home and got a shower, his vanity instantly taking over. One hundred brush strokes later he had picked out one of his many suits and was trying it on to make sure it still fit. Then he straightened his tie and looked himself over critically in the mirror. Skin spotlessly clean, shirt pressed, not a hair out of place. Perfect. Hyuuga Neji was ready to face the world.

The main hall was packed. The party space even carried out to include the garden and the surrounding area. Neji walked through the crowd, picking up familiar faces and not-so-familiar ones. He found Sasuke standing by the punchbowl. The boy was dressed in a simple black suit with a white undershirt a crisp white bowtie. He smirked and waved to Neji.

"Loose your date already?" Neji chuckled, walking up to him.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's such a big place and there are so many people."

Neji smirked. "I'm surprised they still crawl all over you with the way you treat them."

Uchiha shrugged once more. "Things would be simpler if they didn't. I take it you didn't get a date."

"I actually don't know if I did," admitted Neji. He saw Sasuke stiffen slightly. "Anyway, how long do you plan to stay here?" the pale-eyed nin continued.

"Not sure. I'll mingle around for a bit, pretend to be social and then slip off later I guess."

Neji nodded. "Same plan as me then. Well, I'll see you around."

Sasuke nodded and waved as Neji walked off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke quickly walk farther into the crowd in order to avoid the large group of girls that were heading towards the punch table. Walking around for a few minutes more, he spotted the slouching figure of Gaara standing in the far corner of the building. The sand-nin looked rather strange with a suit on, and Neji saw that he had actually left his gourd behind.

"Having fun?" he asked, walking up to greet him.

Gaara simply leaned against the wall and made an indistinct noise. "I was never much for social gatherings."

"I know what you mean," Neji nodded. They stood against the wall awkwardly. "You want any punch or anything?" he finally offered.

Gaara nodded.

"Great, I'll go get some then. See you soon." It would give Neji something to do, and break him away from the awkwardness. If he could only be sure of Gaara's intentions! Neji didn't want to make a fool of himself again, but at the same time he didn't want to sit there wondering either. He arrived at the punchbowl only to discover that they were all out, and he was directed out to the gardens where another table was set up.

The sky was overcast with dark gray storm clouds, and Neji wondered if the organizers were prepared if it began to rain. He was almost at the table when he heard voices off to the side away from the party. He recognized Naruto and Sasuke's voices and was about to walk on when he heard his name being mentioned.

Mentally scolding himself for the evils of eavesdropping, Neji kneeled behind a bush and watched the apparent argument in front of him play out.

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Ok, I meant to send these chapters in a set of three, but chapter 17 is taking sooo long to write as I have hit a sort of dead-end which I am trying to resolve. This is the first of the three, and I'll send the second tomorrow probably or the next day to give me more time to finish Chapter 17. 


	16. Things Better Left Alone

Yet another confrontation between Naruto and Sasuke after a bit of nostalgia. Yeah, I miss them as a couple, too.

**aura-chan the neko-jin** – We'll have to see what happens. ;)

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Yeah, Naruto and Sasuke are still at it with arguing. Naruto doesn't think the breakup is fair, and Sasuke is going to explain just why he did it in this chapter. That's the main reason for their argument I guess in this chapter. And I have no clue what to do with Gaara. For once, I do have some idea of where I'm going with the story, but Gaara's getting in the way of that. --; I'll figure something out.

**sux **– Hahahahahahahaha! Lol, that made my day. Next time you flame, be a little more creative. And if you don't like the fic, well, no one is forcing you to read it. :P

**sinn** - I'm glad you like it. And thanks, I'll need luck to try and pull this story together... flailing with conflicting ideas

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Chapter 16: Things Better Left Alone

Good, another mob of girls avoided. Sasuke really didn't want to run into his date—he couldn't even remember her name anymore—or he'd never be able to loose her. He was held up a few times as he was constantly pulled to the side by his superiors and shown off. This is why he hated parties so much.

"Yes, this is Uchiha Sasuke…star student…incredible abilities…great potential…rather unfortunate what happened…shows great promise…" And so the talk would continue until he could politely pry himself away, only to be pulled in by another.

Sasuke wove in and out of people, keeping his eye on the clock. He wondered when would be the earliest he could politely depart. His cheeks were feeling rather strained from his fake smiles.

"And I do hope you're not causing trouble," came a voice.

Sasuke looked over to see Naruto scowling up at sensei. "For the last time, no."

Sensei smiled and scruffed his hair. "That's good." With that, he headed off to talk to one of the other adults.

The black-haired nin was about to slip stealthily back into the crowd, but it was too late. Naruto had spotted him, and was heading over. Sasuke watched him near with a mix of dread and longing. The pang in his chest was back, and he used the excuse of having drunk too much punch.

The two stood face to face in silence for a while.

"Goddamn it," Naruto finally said, scowling and looking down, "I can't get sensei to stop hounding me. He keeps thinking I have some elaborate plot to ruin this stupid gathering."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and Naruto's comical face. "You don't do you?"

Naruto's head snapped up and he glared. "For your information, I don't."

The blonde's rival chuckled and scanned his eyes lazily over the crowd, keeping his eye out for any dangerous swarms of females.

"I remember the last time they had something like this. We had broken into the liquor cabinet on a dare—"

"Your idea," Sasuke corrected.

"—and put some of it in the punch after snatching the snacks that had been made beforehand. Then we hid under the speech-giving stage eating snacks and drinking the expensive wine we had taken."

Sasuke smiled at the memory, his first real one of the night. "Yeah, that was fun. Then you had to ruin it by letting out that massive belch during the Hokage's opening speech."

"And you got out of it by slipping out the back way of the stage and pretending you were behind there helping with the wiring, while I took full blame!"

"Well, it was your idea in the first place. Besides, I'm an Uchiha. They couldn't be allowed to find out or it would completely spoil my perfect record."

Naruto settled for sticking out his tongue.

Sasuke chuckled. Naruto could be so immature sometimes. Just then, he saw his date approaching from over the blonde's shoulder. She hadn't seen him yet, but if he didn't move fast, she would. "I've got to get out of here," he hissed quickly to Naruto, before worming his way as fast as he could through the crowd. He could hear the fox-child's feet padding along behind him.

He found a nice secluded area outside and gave out a sigh of relief. He had escaped once again.

"What was that all about?" Naruto questioned, looking behind him at the crowd a little ways off.

"Date evasion," Sasuke explained.

Naruto looked down.

"What's with the face? I never evaded you when we were dating."

"Yeah, but you never publicly announced I was your date either. If it was a formal gathering like this, you hooked up with some girl that we ended up running from for the rest of the night."

"It's too troublesome to turn them all down," Sasuke stated.

The blonde made a face. "You sound like Shikamaru."

"Look," said Sasuke, running his fingers through his own hair, "did you want me to publicly announce that you were my date to the entire crowd?"

"I guess not," admitted Naruto.

"Then what's your problem? Anyway, we don't have to worry about that anymore…" Sasuke trailed off, all too aware of the pain in his chest intensifying.

There was a moment of silence before Naruto spoke again.

"Sasuke…why did you break up with me?"

The dark-eyed boy looked away and instead focused on the grass off to his side.

"Sasuke."

Naruto's voice was pleading again, and Sasuke couldn't say that it didn't penetrate his cold exterior even a little.

"What did I do wrong?"

Sasuke winced and looked up at Naruto. "You did nothing wrong. And even if you did, for every wrong of yours I was doubly as guilty."

"Then why?"

Sasuke knew the answer. He had known for quite some time, yet he refused to recognize it. There was no way he could word it to make it easier for his ex, so he just got to the point. "Neji."

"What?" Naruto looked slightly surprised. "But I said I'd forgive you for that one night. It wasn't enough for me to want to loose you. Besides, you only did it to make me jealous and get me back."

Sasuke sighed and looked at the blonde before him. He thought he heard a rustling in the bushes, but dismissed it for the cold wind that suddenly blew around them. "Then what would be my excuse the next time it happened?"

"What?" Naruto said, dumbstruck.

Things were not going to be easy. Sasuke shut his eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you any more than I had already done. I admit to using Neji to get you back, but that's not the only reason I did it. It worked actually very well and doubled as an excuse I suppose."

"An excuse for what?" Naruto's voice trembled, and he felt he didn't want to know the answer.

The dark-haired nin opened his eyes. "I was partially attracted to Neji, and that feeling only grew after the night I spent with him. I got to be close to him and touch him, and I liked it."

Naruto's face was a mix of shock and anger touched with a hint of betrayal. "And what about me?"

Sasuke found his voice shaking against his will. "I loved you. I loved being with you. Don't think you didn't mean anything. Because you did, I had to break up with you."

"What the fuck is that for an excuse!" Naruto suddenly snapped. "You loved me so you broke up with me! Am I hearing right, Uchiha?"

"Look, Naruto, if I didn't care, I would go ahead and see Neji behind your back while still having the perks of being with you." It was an awful thing to say, and Sasuke was sickened with himself for knowing that it was true.

Naruto wiped his eyes angrily. "So you broke up with me because of Neji?"

"No, because I didn't want you to get hurt!"

"That's BS Uchiha!" Naruto screamed.

Sasuke darted his eyes to the crowd, speaking in a dead even tone. "Keep your voice down, Naruto. Do you want the whole party to hear us?"

"Who gives a fuck?" Naruto snarled, but lowered his voice anyway. "How long has this crush been going on? When did you start planning your backup plan when we fell through?"

"I don't know," admitted Sasuke, "but it wasn't long ago. Believe me Naruto! It only really started to grow after that one night."

Naruto scoffed. "Goddamn Neji ruined everything, and you did too, Uchiha. You didn't even come to talk to me about it."

"What the hell was I supposed to say? I didn't want to loose you."

"I believe it was you who broke up with me."

"I know Naruto, I know! I just couldn't deal with the guilt anymore."

"We could've found a way to deal with it. But I guess breaking up with me was the easy pathway to get to that goddamn Hyuuga! If it wasn't for him then you'd still be with me!"

Sasuke saw a movement off in behind the bushes and just saw the end of a ponytail disappearing off into the trees as it started to rain.

"Neji!" he cried out, running in the direction the Hyuuga had bolted.

Naruto watched his ex disappear into the woods in pursuit of the nin. He should've known Sasuke would go after him. After all, that was whom Sasuke wanted. He had made that painfully clear to the blonde. Naruto cursed the weather and cursed his former lover. Was he destined to always be rejected, shunned, and put out as an outcast? It was like it was all a cruel conspiracy, and everyone was against him, even Sasuke. Naruto headed back to his house to get out of the rain. It wasn't like the black-haired nin would return to him. There was no reason to stand there and get needlessly wet.

* * *

Um, yeah, my guilt levels for Naruto are over the roof right now. Things will brighten up for him soon…I hope. 


	17. Caught in the Rain

I both love and hate this chapter. On one hand, Neji's a wuss and his OOC has reached maximum altitude (let's blame it on delusional pneumonia or something, shall we?). There also seem to be things that don't seem to run smoothly in this chapter or that I find don't make a whole lot of sense. Neji blames himself way too much, when I think it's almost completely Sasuke who is to blame. Not to mention that Neji has about a gazillion different mood swings in this chapter. On the other hand, the thought of a wet Neji and Sasuke in the same room is pretty hot. Oh well, I'll let you guys decide whether it's worth it or not.

Oh, and if you still don't like **YAOI**, why are you reading this story? Slight yaoi in here, not as much as chapter four, but I thought I'd mention it.

**Laurenyelle the Silver** – Mehehehe, the plot is about to get very thick due to a brainstorm I had last night after a panic (since I didn't know where I was taking the story). I'll be updating as soon as possible, perhaps a chapter every day or couple of days, though on weekdays I'm busier and it's less likely I'll have time to write.

**aura-chan the neko-jin** – Yeah, Sasuke is a jerk. But that's why I love him, lol.

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Chapter 17: Caught in the Rain

The rain fell heavily, cloaking everything with its icy wetness. Neji shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as he became thoroughly drenched. He shut his eyes, the conversation he overheard playing in his head over and over like a broken record. This was all his fault? He was the reason Sasuke had broken up with Naruto; that was why Naruto hated him so much. He should've tried harder to resist Sasuke when the nin had seduced him at his house. Neji squeezed his eyes shut, not caring anymore as the downpour did a good job of masking the tears that began to pour from his eyes.

"Neji! Neji!"

The nin turned to see Sasuke bolting through the trees towards him. The dark-haired nin was completely soaked by the time the caught up to Neji. He took a few moments to catch his breath before trying to speak again.

"Neji, listen, it's not—"

Neji turned away from the pleading eyes of the other boy. "It is my fault Sasuke." He was surprised when he was grabbed by the shoulders and whirled around. Sasuke shook him, not once breaking gaze.

"This is my fault Neji, mine! Don't go blaming yourself. It was me who broke up with Naruto. Don't take responsibility for my actions."

"But I'm the reason you did it!" Neji protested, trying to squirm out of Sasuke's grip.

"I did it to keep Naruto from getting hurt." Sasuke's voice was as hard as the rain that pelted down on them from overhead. "I did it because I was attracted to you, and I didn't want to hurt him anymore like I did before. So if you're so desperate to blame it on yourself, then yes, you were indirectly involved. But I was the one who made the decision, not you. So stop with this bullshit!" Sasuke shook him firmly once more to emphasize his point.

Neji couldn't look into the dark-haired boy's eyes. He trembled in his hold and closed his pale eyes as the rain poured down harder.

"Come with me. You'll catch a death out here," Sasuke said, feeling Neji shivering beneath his fingertips.

Neji nodded and Sasuke raised his arm over the nin's head, using his jacket to keep the rain off the pale and shivering boy. They slowly made their way to Sasuke's house. As soon as they got in, Sasuke walked to the bathroom and got a bundle of towels. His clothes felt five pounds heavier with all the water that had soaked through. He found Neji still standing on the doorstep, water dripping in a puddle under him.

"Get in Neji and shut the door!" he ordered. He could see Neji shaking even from this distance. Neji hesitantly walked in, not making eye contact with Sasuke. Sasuke dumped the towels onto the table. "Get out of those damp clothes and dry yourself off. It's not healthy to stand there, soaked to the skin in icy water."

As the brunette began to fumble with his shirt buttons, Sasuke headed to his room and grabbed some old clothes out of the drawers. They would do for now. He returned and threw them on the table with the towels.

"You can change into these once you dry off." Sasuke grabbed a towel for himself and walked into his room, getting out of his own soaked clothes. After changing he waited for a moment and headed back into the living room. Neji was sitting on the couch, a towel around his shoulders absorbing the wetness of his hair.

Sasuke grabbed his discarded clothes and hung all of them over the radiator. He then went into the kitchen and took the kettle, filling it with water and then putting it on the stove to boil. Sasuke grabbed the towel in both hands and rubbed it back and forth against his hair to dry it. Neji was still sitting on the couch when he walked in.

Sasuke sat down next to him. "I'll have some tea ready soon."

Neji nodded silently.

"You feel a little warmer?"

"Yes, thank you." So formal and distant. Sasuke hated that tone.

He wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the whistle of the kettle. He excused himself and went to go take it off the burner.

Neji sat, lost in thought over all he had heard. Sasuke had been attracted to him? And that's why he left Naruto. He left because of Neji. It wasn't Neji's fault that Sasuke was interested in him, right? Then why did he feel so responsible for what happened? He was the one who had been unfairly used. Words flowed back from Neji's memory and dance around his head. _"And what if I'm doing it because I'm sincerely interested?"_ It had all been a game back then, right? Neji wasn't sure what to think anymore.

Neji's thoughts were interrupted as Sasuke returned with two steaming mugs. "Careful, it's hot," he warned, handing Neji his mug carefully before sitting beside him.

The two boys sat there staring straight ahead, neither wanting to be the first to speak. If Neji had overheard a majority of the fight, as Sasuke suspected he did, it was all out in the open now. The hard part was waiting for the reaction. Neji sipped his tea, but otherwise was silent. Finally Sasuke could stand it not more.

"Neji, about what you heard—" he began, but was cut off.

"Was it true Uchiha?" Neji still stared straight in front of him at the coffee table.

Sasuke sighed and nodded, then said "Yes," when he realized that the Hyuuga would not have seen the nod.

"So you felt this way and it justified you using me like you did?" Still so distant. Sasuke wanted to grab him by the shoulders again and throttle him, just so he could at least get a direct, if not angry, emotion from the nin.

"Nothing justified what I did. I admit that my prime objective was to get Naruto back for a while."

"And I was just the sideorder, hm?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. If Neji kept this up he was either going to kiss him or punch him. Most likely punch him, apologize, then kiss him. "You're more than a sideorder. I don't get attracted to mere a sideorder and break up with my boyfriend because of it. You mean more to me than that."

"So you're saying I outshone Naruto."

Sasuke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Definitely punch. "Neji, you're making this difficult."

"Well, fuck, Uchiha, you made this difficult first!" Neji was finally looking at the nin, his pale eyes cold and accusing.

"I don't know whether to say you outshone Naruto. That's a trick question, and you know it. What I do know is that even if I had stayed with Naruto, then it wouldn't be long before I went after you again. I wouldn't be able to stay away."

Neji rolled his eyes but said nothing. The only sound for a while was the clock ticking on the wall. Sasuke cautiously wove his arm around the nin's shoulders. Neji stiffened but didn't resist.

"Don't tell me you weren't affected by that night."

The brunette was silent, but Sasuke saw Neji's eyes soften before he shut them.

"I want to have more nights like that."

Now Neji stiffened again, and Sasuke regretted being so open with his statement. He wasn't going to be as bold as to ask whether Neji felt the same way. Not yet. He had messed things up enough for one night. Instead he sat, arm still resting across Neji's shoulders, and waited for the tenseness in the muscles to fade. Still the Hyuuga said nothing. Knowing that he was taking a risk, but going ahead anyway, Sasuke rested his head on Neji's shoulder, burying his face in the boy's sensitive neck. Once again the nin went rigid.

Sasuke nuzzled him lightly, bringing his other arm around Neji's chest, completing his hold and pulled the nin slightly closer.

"My drink…"

Sasuke gave a small smile. "Yeah, I know. It's going to spill."

The brunette turned and gave Sasuke an agonized look. Too many highly charged and conflicting emotions were whirling around inside of him. He remembered the sweet taste of Sasuke's lips, the cold blue eyes of Naruto glaring at him, the helplessness he had felt when he had been used. It all felt like he was being pulled apart in all different directions. His mind screamed that Sasuke was a manipulative bastard while his heart begged to feel that comforting warm presence again.

His heart must have won over, because he felt himself leaning towards the dark-haired boy and caressing his lips against his own. Sasuke's arms moved up and his hands and cradled the back of Neji's head, pulling the brunette into a deeper kiss. Neji felt a rush of warmth wash over him, and was bringing his arms around the Uchiha's waist when there was a sharp knock on the door. The two of them froze, all of a sudden aware of what they were doing.

"Who would come here in this weather?" Neji asked, quickly pulling away from Sasuke's hold and focusing his eyes on the floor. More importantly, how did he loose control so easily?

Sasuke stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and slammed the door shut when he saw who was on the other side.

"Who is it?"

The black-haired nin mentally cursed. He didn't want to answer that question, and he wasn't going to open the door again. He instead stomped angrily back to the couch.

Neji gave him a look of confusion and got up to answer the door by himself. He found a very wet Gaara on the other side. "Gaara!" he exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing out in this weather! It's pouring!"

"You never returned so I went looking for you."

The brunette's hand flew to his mouth. "I'm so sorry Gaara! I got completely sidetracked." He felt really bad for having forgotten about the redhead at the party.

Sasuke was scowling on the couch with his arms folded as Neji let the sand-nin inside. Sasuke wanted Neji to leave Gaara out in the rain. The rat could just find another hole to crawl into until the storm stopped. Of all the nerve to just barge into Sasuke's own house when he wanted to be alone with Neji. The Uchiha even suspected Gaara had somehow planned this.

"Sasuke, can you just grab some towels and perhaps more clothes for Gaara please?" Neji asked, bringing Gaara into the living room.

Sasuke folded his arms and gave a nasty look to Gaara before getting up, wanting the soaked redhead to know that he was only doing this because Neji had asked. The sand-nin appeared unaffected and nodded his thanks. Sasuke returned with the towels and clothes only to find Neji fussing over the intruder. Anger and jealously welled inside Sasuke, and he had half a mind to physically haul Gaara out of the room and kick him out of the house into a nice, big mud puddle.

Neji took the towel and clothes from Sasuke and handed them to Gaara. "We'll just leave you to get changed," he said, walking to Sasuke's room. The dark-haired nin followed. The moment they were in, Sasuke shut the door and pulled Neji close by his shoulders.

"Sasuke, Gaara's in the living roo—" The boy was cut off as Sasuke pulled him into a deep kiss. He was not going to allow the sand-nin to ruin everything for him, especially in his own house. He would tolerate the redhead there for a while because of Neji, but that was as far as he would go. "Sas—" The nin didn't give Neji a chance to protest as he lightly pushed him onto the bed, continuing to kiss him.

Neji squirmed under Sasuke, but his arms wrapped around the Uchiha's back and pulled him closer. Sasuke deepened the kiss even more, getting a satisfying moan from the boy underneath him. Neji was his, and there was no way Sasuke was going to let that creepy twisted nin lay a finger on him.

He ignored it when the door opened, and continued to make out with the brunette. Unfortunately, Neji noticed Gaara standing in the doorway and pushed Sasuke away, with a little resistance. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara, his red sharigan visible.

"You can wait in the living room until the rain stops. That's as generous as I'm going to get," he hissed menacingly.

"Sasuke! What is your problem?" Neji slid away from him and removed Sasuke's arms from around his waist. "We can go sit out with him, or if you don't want to, then I can."

The black-haired boy's eyes flashed. It was a horrible choice he had been given: to sit in the same room with Gaara without killing him, or to leave Gaara in a room with Neji alone. No, he decided to stay right here with Neji and let Gaara entertain himself in the other room. Sasuke acted out his decision by rewrapping his arms around Neji's waist and pulling him back onto the bed with him.

"Sasuke!" the brunette declared in annoyance, standing up again. I'll be sitting in the living room with Gaara. You can either stay here or join us." With that, Neji walked off with Gaara out the door.

Only Neji and possibly Naruto could get away with ordering Sasuke in his own house. With a snarl, the nin got off the bed and stalked into the living room. The redhead had ruined the entire night, and Sasuke was not going to forgive that. Fully aware of how rude he was being, Sasuke wormed his way in between Neji and Gaara so that he sat in the middle on the couch. The two nin had to move to either side to let him sit. Neji's face clearly showed his disapproval for the way the black-haired boy was acting, but Sasuke didn't care. He was not going to give Gaara the satisfaction of sitting next to Neji, if anything.

Gaara didn't verbally protest being shoved aside, but Sasuke could feel the same mutual hatred emanating from the nin. Neji shifted uncomfortably on Sasuke's left. It was clear that he could feel the tension as well. Sasuke prayed that the rain would end soon so he could be rid of his new rival. He didn't want Neji to leave, though, and was half afraid he might.

Neji attempted to strike up a conversation with the two nin, but it proved ineffective. Gaara and Sasuke just spent the entire time glaring daggers at each other. Sasuke's sharigan eyes were still activated, and Neji put a hand on his shoulder, for fear that Sasuke might go for Gaara's throat at any moment. That only resulted in Sasuke wrapping one arm around Neji's waist and shooting a possessive look at Gaara. The Hyuuga sighed and rolled his eyes. Things were not going well.

Gaara's fingers were twitching, and his emerald eyes were hard and cold. Sasuke sneered at him.

"What? Forget something at home?"

Gaara ignored the question and instead leaned over with an iron grip on the black-haired boy's arm, removing it from Neji. Sasuke was surprised at the amount of force that came from what appeared to be a rather pale and scrawny arm. He had thought the redhead was weak without his sand, but he wasn't going to underestimate Gaara anymore.

Neji looked surprised at Gaara's action and looked at him questioningly. The nin didn't meet his gaze and instead began tightening his fist around Sasuke's wrist. The Uchiha hissed through his teeth as the redhead squeezed harder and harder, and latched his hand onto Gaara's wrist to try and pry him off.

"Gaara! Stop it!" Neji was horrified with the boy's sudden menacing behaviour.

Gaara paused and slowly released his grip, placing his hand back on his lap as if nothing had happened. Sasuke drew back his wrist and clutched it, glaring at the sand-nin. Gaara's handprint was imprinted in Sasuke's wrist. Neji took the nin's wrist and examined it, concerned.

"What is wrong with the two of you?"

Really, Neji couldn't be that dense. Sasuke was surprised that he hadn't caught on that this whole dispute was over him, as well as a natural hatred that Sasuke couldn't repress when he saw the redhead. Or maybe the brunette wasn't oblivious and just didn't want to face the facts. Regardless, Sasuke was not going to have the sand-nin bossing him around in his own house, especially when he wanted to be with Neji. Sasuke stood up and glared down at Gaara.

"I've had enough of this crap. Rain or no rain: get out."

"Sasuke!"

"No, Neji, I want him out." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara, and the redhead just smirked and stood up.

"Very well." He had begun to walk towards the door when Neji flew up out of his seat.

"You are not kicking him out into that storm, Sasuke!"

"Oh, I am," Sasuke said coldly, folding his arms. "We're not far from other houses. He can go bug the crap out of Shikamaru or Chouji or someone. He doesn't need my roof to stay dry."

"Then maybe I don't either." Sasuke winced at the hardness in Neji's tone and whirled around to face the brunette and keep from seeing the smugness that grew across Gaara's face.

The dark-haired nin took Neji's hands and pulled him closer. "You don't have to leave. I don't want you to leave." He caressed his fingers through the boy's brown hair.

Neji's voice was still distant and cold. "When you treat my friend like crap, you treat me like crap as well. When you're through with being a selfish egotistical jerk, call me."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Things were getting difficult. He didn't want Neji to leave; if he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to get him back. Desperately, he flailed for an excuse. "Your clothes are still wet."

"I have others at home. And I can give you your clothes back tomorrow." The verbal spar was on.

"What if I need them tonight?"

Neji stared at him and then shrugged. "Fine. Take them." Sasuke had to keep from tackling the brunette to the floor as he slid off his shirt and threw it sexily at Sasuke's feet. The shorts soon followed, hitting Sasuke in the head. "I believe that is everything. Come on Gaara, we can camp out at Shikamaru's." Neji turned and headed towards the door, stubborn to the last.

The hell Sasuke was going to let a Neji only in boxers walk out his door with Gaara. He finally let go of his restraints and tackled Neji to the ground with a soft growl, pulling Neji face to face. "If you think you're leaving, you are seriously mistaken, Hyuuga."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "And just how do you plan to stop me, Uchiha?"

Sasuke leaned down to kiss Neji, but the boy saw it coming and stopped the nin's lips with his fingers.

"Nice try. Now get off me. I'm going to Shikamaru's."

The Uchiha scoffed. "What? Are you going to show up in your boxers?"

Neji smirked cockily. "I don't see a problem with that. If all else fails, Gaara has already seen me in my boxers and we can just head over to his place."

That stung. Neji had hit a weak spot. Sasuke was not going to show how much that casual statement bothered him, especially with Gaara standing right there. Speaking of the redhead, he was standing by the door, arms folded, with one foot lightly pawing the ground as if he was tempted to kick Sasuke hard off Neji. Sasuke was not going to loose Neji, not to him.

"Neji, you know I can't allow that," he growled under his breath to the Hyuuga under him.

Neji's eyes were cold and unforgiving. "Gaara, could you please help me up?"

Oh, Neji knew how to fight dirty. Sasuke tensed as the sand-nin approached. "Not a step closer," he snarled. He refocused his gaze back onto Neji. "You know I want you. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you're an ass, Uchiha," Neji said defiantly.

"Only because I hate that sand-spitting bastard." Sasuke looked up and glared at Gaara, who was curiously watching.

The brunette shook his head. "No, Uchiha. You were an ass to me. You were an ass for the way you treated me during your fight with Naruto, and you were an ass to Naruto after your fight. And now you're being an ass to Gaara. It just seems that you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Sasuke gripped his hands onto Neji's arms. He was not going to give up Neji without a fight. "You are not leaving with him."

"You have no right to order me, Uchiha."

"I have every right!" Sasuke stated.

"You do not, now get off me!" Sasuke was roughly shoved off and Neji stood up. "Don't even try and stop me Sasuke, I'm not in the mood." The brunette's face was dead serious. It was clear that he had had enough, and to not back off was potentially fatal to Sasuke's future relations with the boy.

The Uchiha sighed and looked down. "At least get dressed." He couldn't believe he was letting Neji go with such a creep. But he knew the Hyuuga was stubborn, and resisting would only lead to disaster.

Neji sighed in relief and went to the clothes he had thrown on the floor, getting redressed. "I'll see you later, Sasuke."

Sasuke grabbed Neji by the shoulders before he could reach the door. The Hyuuga stiffened, thinking that the nin was just trying to hold him back still. "You be careful." It was Sasuke's turn to be serious. "Don't do anything you'd regret." The black-haired nin stroked Neji's cheek.

Neji smiled. "I'll be fine."

"And don't let him touch you!" Sasuke hissed in Neji's ear, pulling the nin close.

The brunette smirked. "Yes, and try not to let your jealousy overwhelm you." He pulled away. "I'm a Hyuuga, Sasuke. This is my life, and you've got to let go and let me live it. I'll do what is right for me."

Sasuke did not like that vague answer. He didn't want anyone else touching his Neji. The nin pulled the Hyuuga into a long deep kiss. Neji was his, and no one was going to take that away. Slowly, he broke away, reluctant to release his hold on Neji.

Neji smiled and slowly pulled away from the arms wrapped around him. "I'll see you later."

Sasuke watched as the nin walked to Gaara, anger and jealousy welling inside him once again. Before they could walk out, Sasuke quickly ran up.

"At least take an umbrella, Neji." Sasuke dug through the closet and pulled one out.

Neji smiled and took it. "Thanks. Bye."

Sasuke stood in his doorway as the two figures disappeared off into the gray downpour. _'I shouldn't have let him go…not in this weather_,_'_ the nin thought, his stomach twisting with worry. He shouldn't have to, after all, Neji was nearly Sasuke's match. He was tough, and Gaara's house was not far away. In fact, Sasuke found he was more concerned about what would happen when Gaara and Neji arrived at that place. Mentally kicking himself for not being able to control his temper and causing Neji to leave, Sasuke slammed the door to the wild gale outside.

* * *

'sigh' So many things messed up in this chapter. I think Sasu let Neji go way too easily, but I wrote the ending at midnight, so my brain was a little fried and I needed the chapter to end soon. So please just shut your eyes to all those blatant OOC's within OOC's and just other stuff that wouldn't happen. Yeah. It'll get better soon, I promise. :) 


	18. Betrayal

Here's the next chapter. Not much to say. Again I don't own Naruto.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Lol, you're really REALLY going to hate Gaara now. Gaara loves to get in the way of things, and he does it well. Last chapter I had planned to be a pure SasuNeji, but those plans were obviously foiled again. Gaara has his own plans as you shall see…

* * *

Chapter 18: Betrayal

The rain was coming down in buckets. The wind whipped up a few times and tried to blow the umbrella away, but Neji kept a firm grip on it. After all, it was Sasuke's, and he didn't want to loose it. A part of him wished that he had stayed at Sasuke's, but he knew he would not have be able the nin's rude and intolerant attitude for much longer.

"We're not far," Neji heard the redhead say encouragingly from his other side. The brunette was surprised he could hear the nin over the wind, since Gaara always spoke softly.

A few minutes later, Neji and Gaara arrived at the home. The sand-nin was much worse off than Neji, since he had refused to get under the umbrella. He excused himself to go dry off, and got a towel for Neji. Neji only suffered a slight dampness in his clothes and refused a change when Gaara offered. He felt he had borrowed enough for one night.

Neji looked curiously around Gaara's place. It was nice and clean, but carried that uneasy feeling of a house not truly lived in. Neji sat on the couch and smiled when Gaara returned.

"Weren't you staying with two other people who came on the exchange?" he asked, remembering the other boy and girl in his class.

The redhead nodded. "My brother and sister. They went elsewhere after the party. May I get you anything?"

Neji shook his head. "No thank you, I'm fine."

Gaara walked over and sat beside Neji. He was back in just his ordinary black clothes, but without the sash, and he still did not have the gourd strapped to his back. Neji noticed it leaning against a corner not too far away.

"I'm sorry for Sasuke's behaviour tonight," Neji found himself saying.

"Why are you apologizing for someone else? He acted as he did and that is his own fault." Always short and to the point—that was Gaara.

Neji leaned back against the couch. "Well, thank you anyway for coming to look for me, and then allowing me over."

Gaara smirked and looked at Neji. The look sent shivers up Neji's spine. "It was my pleasure."

Suddenly Neji was very uneasy, and he had no reason to be. He contemplated making an excuse to go to the bathroom, but knew that Gaara would see through the false request. He was surprised when the sand-nin continued to talk, without prompting.

"I was a little disappointed when you disappeared at the party. Did you dislike being my date?"

Neji blinked, caught off guard. "I-I was your date? Well, no, but I didn't even know you were asking me to the party."

"What did you think I was doing?"

"I don't know," Neji admitted truthfully, "but I was afraid to ask."

The redhead regarded him. "Why?"

Neji shrugged. "I've misread you so many times before, I really didn't feel like making an ass of myself again."

"And when did you misread me?"

The brunette's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he debated whether to mention the hill incident or not. If Gaara didn't know, then it saved him a whole lot of embarrassment. Unfortunately, the sand-nin saw Neji fidget nervously and sat patiently waiting for an answer. Neji struggled to find words. "When we were on the hill…the one day we went to see the village from up there, I asked you if you were going to kiss me."

"Yes?" Gaara was not making it easy for Neji to slip past this.

Neji shut his eyes so he couldn't see Gaara's face, and he felt his cheeks get redder and redder as he spoke. Why was he even saying anything? "Well, you had leaned in suddenly and I had thought you were going to kiss me. So I prepared myself and made myself look like an idiot sitting there and waiting for a kiss that never came."

Gaara shrugged. "I was curious to see what you would do."

"What?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"I was interested in whether you would commence a kiss or not, so I waited, and when it was clear you weren't starting anything, I moved away."

"So you were trying to kiss me!"

The redhead simply shrugged.

Neji was slightly angered by Gaara's casual assessment of what had happened. "I made myself look like an idiot because I thought you were going to kiss me. I wasn't going to move in and make it even more mortifying if you weren't interested. If you wanted to kiss me, you should've just done it! Do you know how stupid I felt sitting there?"

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

Why did Gaara always do this to him? He had a knack for completely throwing Neji off track with his sudden bluntness. The brunette wasn't sure what to say, and just stammered for a bit before falling silent.

"Well?" The redhead folded his arms and leaned back against the armrest, waiting patiently for Neji's answer.

The nin didn't know what to think. Did he want to kiss Gaara? Was Gaara just doing it to humor him or was there something else that was there? And what about Sasuke? When did his life become so confusing? It used to be that not so many questions plagued him all at once.

Neji looked up at the boy next to him. Gaara's hair was still damp and the dark red spikes lay slick across his forehead, drawing Neji's attention to the tattoo above the nin's brow. "What does it mean, that marking?"

"Love."

"I see." Neji cleared his throat in the uncomfortable silence. Still, Gaara sat and waited for an answer. The brunette regarded him. Gaara was quite attractive, if not slightly exotic. Neji had never seen anyone that looked like the nin did. Gaara had that lithe yet hazardous sort of appearance, like a viper that could strike at any given moment. Neji was drawn to those emerald eyes; he wanted to be able to see into their depths, right into the highly protected and unknown interior. He wanted to get to know Gaara. Neji was tired of being stuck outside with no way to penetrate past the redhead's stoic mask.

Decided, Neji nodded. "Yes…I would."

Gaara didn't respond and simply leaned forward, cupping Neji's chin and drawing the brunette to him. The sand-nin's kiss was powerful, completely contrasting his more feeble outer appearance. Neji felt like he was being suffocated, like warm flamers were consuming him in a wave of heat from the fiery lips of his stoic friend. It felt so good that Neji completely abandoned any thoughts of escape. No one had ever kissed him like that before. Everything about Gaara was so strange and enticing. Neji found himself being the one to cling to the front of the boy's shirt as the nin completely took him over.

Everything was happening so quickly and unexpectedly. It was as if a complete change had come over the sand-nin. Neji wasn't sure if he was seeing the Gaara from behind the mask, but it certainly was another side of the boy. Neji really liked how this side made him feel. He moaned as he felt Gaara's fingers run over the sensitive flesh on his back as they wandered under his shirt. Gaara finally broke the kiss, only to nip at the skin on Neji's neck. Neji let out a moan as the redhead tugged at his earlobe. It was so sudden but the brunette didn't want it to stop.

He didn't have time to think, it hardly felt like he had time to breathe, as Gaara claimed his lips again and again, pressing Neji against the cushions of the couch. All Neji could manage to do was to let out panting gasps and moans, while pulling the redhead closer on top of him and surrendering to the assault of kisses. He had completely forgotten everything that had happened, he hardly remembered where he was and even who he was. All Neji knew is that the moment those hot lips left his skin, he wanted to feel their burning touch again.

Neji opened his pale eyes and looked at Gaara when the nin pulled away. The redhead's eyes were a brilliant green, as if a spark had ignited a fire within the boy and caused his eyes to sparkle with an inner light. Despite the warmth of the sand-nin's skin, his cheeks were still pale and almost devoid of colour. The boy's chest rose and fell as he panted, tangling his fingers into Neji's hair. Neji found himself breathing heavily too, as if he had just come back from a long run. He wasn't expecting all this, but he wasn't going to complain. Neji felt himself moving up to meet the redhead halfway as the boy leaned down to kiss him again.

Over and over Neji felt himself falling deeper into the depths of Gaara. He was the only person that existed at the moment, and nothing else in the world mattered. He spent little time wondering just how he had gotten so wrapped up so quickly. It was almost as if there was some strange alluring charisma in the boy that beckoned Neji to come closer, to fall deeper. And Neji did not resist.

Neji lost track of time. Somewhere along the way they had lost their shirts and Neji hardly cared where they had been thrown. All he could think of was the inexplicable feeling of skin against skin. Gaara ran his tongue from Neji's collarbone and down to his navel, lapping at it and making the brunette's skin involuntarily shiver. Neji buried his fingers in Gaara's damp hair and drew the boy's head back to his, leaning in for another kiss. Neji just managed to see through half-lidded eyes as Gaara grinned sadistically before bringing his mouth down on Neji's lips. The brunette stiffened as he felt something prick his side and pulled away to see a syringe in Gaara's hand sticking into his lower back.

"G-Gaara? What's going on?" Neji suddenly found it hard to speak and his words slurred together as the world spun and his vision blurred. He abruptly felt himself becoming incredibly sleepy, and his head lolled back onto the pillow under him.

The last thing he saw was Gaara's piercing emerald eyes and the white of the nin's unnerving grin.

* * *

And just to clear things up, no Gaara is not some supernatural being or vampire or anything like that. He's just very very good at what he does. 


	19. Something Not Quite Right

Eek! What happened to Neji? 'bites nails' Sadly, you'll have to sit and wonder with Sasuke in this chapter because its in his P.O.V.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Neji hadn't decided who he wanted. Yeah, it does look kinda bad to make out with two different people in one night, I don't disagree with you there. But Neji did like Gaara a little and wanted to get a chance to try and know him. He likes Sasuke, but he's also wary because of the way Sasuke treated Naruto. So he's stuck in between two potential boyfriends and trying to figure out which to turn to. Well, I'm sure tranquillizing Neji isn't going to rank Gaara high on Neji's list now. There's more to Gaara's presence than first appears…

**Yaoilover S** – Thanks so much. I'm honoured.

**sinn** – Hehehe, I like how it leaves you hanging. Thanks.

**aura-chan the neko-jin** – You will probably find out more what is going on with Gaara and Neji in chapter 20, and why Neji was drugged. It does seem rather sudden, but there is a reason for everything.

* * *

Chapter 19: Something Not Quite Right

The rain continued on for another day. Sasuke stared out his window as the water beaded and ran down in little rivulets. He had half a mind to go out into the storm and intrude into Gaara's house like the redhead had done to him. After all, it was only fair.

The dark-haired boy had hardly slept the night before, and when he found himself dozing off, the pounding of rain only brought him back to consciousness. Now the storm was beginning to lessen, and Sasuke expected it to clear up sometime during the evening. He'd be able to see Neji in school tomorrow and give him a serious talk about how he felt. If he didn't get serious, Gaara would most likely snatch the Hyuuga's heart away from Sasuke. That was one thing Sasuke would not be able to stand.

He admitted that he liked Neji and that he didn't want to loose him to anyone else. Still, it felt wrong to jump into another relationship so soon after the one with Naruto had ended. Sasuke had hoped he'd have the liberty to ease himself into this, but if it appeared that it was a now-or-never situation, he'd have to leap in headfirst and hope for the best.

Sasuke groaned and rubbed his temples. He had dismantled the clock from the wall to stop its annoying ticking, but even without it echoing throughout the empty house, Sasuke still felt so alone. He shouldn't have let Neji go. Something just didn't feel right. Maybe it was jealousy, but Sasuke didn't care. He wanted Neji in his arms right now. Sasuke resolved to never answer the door again when the Hyuuga was over.

With a sigh, Sasuke turned his head to check the time before remembering that the clock wasn't there anymore. No matter, it was probably sometime mid-afternoon. He could try and go to sleep now so that he could at least make up for some of the lost hours and ease the pounding in his head. Tomorrow would be a better day. Tomorrow he wouldn't hold back, and he'd make Neji his.

- - -

Sasuke splashed through the mud, cursing himself for sleeping in. Who knew it was possible to sleep for over sixteen hours? Now he was late for class, or he would be late if he didn't get moving. It was much more difficult to get there due to the massive mud puddles that had been left behind from the rain. A few trees had also fallen over where the soil had loosened and had gotten washed away. Running up the hill and looking down from it, Sasuke was relieved to still see people filing into the school. Good, he had made it in time.

He was also glad to see practically everyone was covered in mud splatters as well. A few were literally covered head to toe, most likely a result of a mud-war. Sasuke wiped his feet before entering the school but soon realized that there was no point. The floors were already filthy anyway. Sasuke made his way into class to find the usual chatter of the present students.

Still no Neji or Gaara, Sasuke noted by the empty seats. Checking the school clock, he saw that they had a couple of minutes left anyway. It was rare for Neji to cut it this close, but then again, Sasuke had hardly made it himself. And he had no clue about Gaara's punctuality. He had never paid much attention to the redhead on purpose. He saw, though, that the other two from the sand village were already in their seats and talking to each other in low voices.

Naruto was not there either, but that was pretty typical. He liked to make a mad dash in a few seconds within the interval of the bell and the start of class. Sure enough, Naruto came bolting in, throwing a blob of mud at Chouji, who he was chasing.

"That's enough Naruto! No bringing mud into class. Get into your seats everyone." The sensei started to tick off attendance.

Sasuke looked worriedly at Neji's seat. The nin had still not shown up, and Gaara was nowhere to be seen as well. Had they skipped class? No, Neji wasn't the type to do that. Perhaps they were late, and got caught up with something. Sasuke prayed that it was just physical obstacles like mud and trees. He didn't want to think of Gaara distracting Neji in other ways.

The sensei furrowed his brow when he reached Neji's name on the list, and furrowed it more later when he found Gaara missing as well.

"Temari, you wouldn't know the meaning of your brother's absence, would you?" he asked the blonde exchange student.

Temari shook her head. "No sir. I haven't seen Gaara since the party. Perhaps he caught a cold from the rain and is resting at home. I'll be sure to check on him after class." She exchanged looks with her other brother, Kankuro.

Sensei nodded. "Please do. If he is sick, I can set aside work for him so that he may keep up with his studies while at home. And if you see Hyuuga Neji, please let him know the same."

The blonde girl nodded.

Sasuke found himself getting more and more edgy as the class wore on. Half way through the lesson and there was still no sign of Neji and Gaara. The fact that the both of them were missing bothered the Uchiha. He wanted to run out of class and find them, and take Neji away from Gaara and whatever the redhead was doing to him. He couldn't explain it, but he didn't like to think of the two alone. And it wasn't just because of the fear of Gaara pulling a move on Neji. There was something off about the nin, something Sasuke couldn't quite place. His paranoia only continued, right up until the bell.

When it rang, Sasuke bolted out of his seat and was the first one out the door. He hurried to Gaara's house and knocked on the door. He stood there for a few seconds and then knocked again. Still no answer. The nin paced around and then pounded hard on the door. "Neji? Gaara? Open up!" Nothing. Again he pounded his fist on the door. They had to be in there, where else would they go? Sasuke went into the muddy yard and stood on his tiptoes in order to try and peek through the window.

"What are you doing?"

Sasuke nearly slipped into the mud as he quickly whirled around to come face to face with Temari. Kankuro was right behind her.

Gaara's sister placed her hands on her hips. "I asked you what you were doing?"

Sasuke regained composure and stared the girl down with the same hard look she was giving him. "I was checking to see if anyone was home."

"Did you knock?" Temari's voice sounded annoyed.

"Yes."

"And?"

"There was no answer."

"Then what's your problem?"

"You had said in class that Gaara was probably at home sick, so someone must be there."

"I said perhaps," Temari said, folding her arms, "And if he is, he doesn't need you disturbing his rest by pounding like a madman on the door. He wouldn't answer it anyway. He knows that Kankuro and I don't do such things, and he has little use of random visitors."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He was starting to get annoyed himself. "Listen, my friend, Hyuuga Neji, headed back with Gaara a couple of nights ago to stay with him during the storm." Even saying it left a sick taste in the nin's mouth. "They were both absent from school today and this is the only place I can think of to find them."

Temari turned and looked at her brother, raising an eyebrow. Some sort of silent exchange seemed to be going on between them, but it was soon broken as she turned back to regard the trespasser on her doorstep. "Well, I will check inside and let you know if your friend is there."

"No, I want to come in," Sasuke said boldly. He didn't trust her, not with the look she was giving him.

Temari narrowed her eyes. "It is rude to invite yourself into another's home."

"I'm coming in," Sasuke stated with determination.

The girl turned to look at Kankuro again and the boy simply shrugged.

"Fine. Come in, but get your muddy shoes off outside the door so you don't tramp mud everywhere." Temari unlocked the door and allowed Sasuke to enter.

Sasuke looked around the room. It looked like the arrangement of an average everyday house, and neither of the two missing nins were present. Sasuke walked from room to room, getting more desperate. When he finally reached what he guessed was Gaara's bedroom, he took a deep breath and shut his eyes, expecting the worst. He turned the knob on the door and flung it open, looking into the room. The bed was empty as well as the room. The whole place was impeccably neat and almost looked untouched.

Sasuke sighed and closed the door. Temari was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall with her arms still crossed. "Are you finished snooping around our home yet?"

"Yes," grumbled Sasuke, trying to piece together where Neji and Gaara would go. He supposed he could go try Neji's house. Maybe Neji had left for home, and Gaara was off parading elsewhere. At least that was what Sasuke hoped. "Thank you," he said as he walked out.

Temari just rolled her eyes and shut the door the instant he was out.

"She's as sociable as her brother," Sasuke muttered to himself, heading quickly towards the Hyuuga manor. Please let Neji be there… He knocked on the door, hoping he didn't have to resort to spying into windows. Hinata answered the door and smiled at Sasuke.

"Hello, Sasuke. What brings you here?"

"Is Neji in?" Sasuke was surprised at how desperate his voice sounded.

The girl shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. He must be off somewhere, because I haven't seen him around recently. I can check his room once more if you'd like."

"Please do," Sasuke said, the worried pit in his stomach growing.

Hinata nodded. "Would you like to wait inside?"

"I'll be fine," Sasuke assured her.

The girl nodded again and shut the door. Sasuke fidgeted and paced on the doorstep. Hinata returned a minute later.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I checked, but he doesn't seem to be here. I don't know where he would be, perhaps off in his training spot?" Hinata gave a shrug. "I'm sorry I cannot be of more help."

Sasuke forced a smile. "Thanks anyway." He turned and walked away from Neji's house. Where else would he be? Sasuke could check the training grounds, but anyone training in such a mess of mud after the storm would have to be nuts.

Sasuke spent a few hours combing through the woods, but still not turning up any trace of Neji. Now his worry was really starting to grow. This just was not like Neji, to miss class and then disappear completely. Why the heck did Sasuke let him go alone with Gaara? The redhead must've done something. Shit! Why did Sasuke let him go?

He found himself breaking into a run, unsure of exactly where he was headed. He was surprised to find himself on Naruto's doorstep. It just felt like the natural place to go. But that was over now… Still, Sasuke found himself knocking on the door.

Naruto opened it, and his look instantly shadowed over. "May I help you?"

"I see you replaced your door." What a stupid thing to say.

The blonde folded his arms. "With all the rain I had to. Now why are you here?"

"Neji is missing."

"So?"

"So, something's not right Naruto! I can't find him anywhere."

"What a pity." Naruto's words were cold and unfeeling.

"You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke before shutting the door in his face. Sasuke knocked on the door, and it reopened.

"What sort of stupid-ass question is that?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to blame you. I'm just stressed." Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry to bother you, but please if you see Neji, let me know."

Naruto rolled his eye. "I'll get right on it Uchiha. You'll be the first to know." He began to close the door again.

Sasuke shoved his foot in the door to stop it. "Naruto, I'm sorry, but please, please keep your eye out for me," he pleaded.

Naruto's eyes softened slightly and he nodded. "Alright, Sasuke. I'll keep an eye out."

Sasuke sighed, grateful. "Thank you so much Naru-ch—Naruto. This means a lot to me."

"Yeah yeah. See you later." Naruto turned and shut the door again.

Sasuke headed back to his home, his head in a spin. Maybe he was overreacting. Neji was probably fine, and would show up in class tomorrow. That would be such a relief, Sasuke didn't care if he would feel like an idiot later. It would be worth it to see Neji again. Sasuke headed back to his home. He'd go and make some dinner and perhaps go out to look one more time before bed. Better to be safe than sorry

* * *

For those wondering, next chapter should hopefully get into where Neji is and all. I'll try and write and post as soon as I can, but I have work tomorrow 'groan' so the next chapter may not come as soon as I'd like. I'll try to update ASAP and once again, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys are great. :) 


	20. Mission Accomplished

And now the long awaited chapter I wanted to name "Where the Hell is Neji?" or even "Where's Neji?" (like "Where's Waldo?"), but I resisted. Finally in Gaara's P.O.V. 'dances' Should be fun to write, and Neji's not really awake right now to think anything except how knocked out he is.

**Yaoilover S** – It should all be revealed in this chapter. And Neji is probably not going to be too happy with Gaara drugging him like that.

**aura-chan the neko-jin** – "And so Sasuke and Naruto looked and looked and looked but Neji and Gaara had disappeared without a trace and where never heard from again! The end." AHHHH, I can't do that! It even makes me go crazy needing to know what happened, and I know what happened, lol.

**Hurricane-rider** – Yep, you'll find out now where Neji was taken. And I've been trying to make longer chapters, but they tend to end on their own where the P.O.V. runs out. This is going to be a long story anyway I suspect (it sort of already is…)

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Aww, old habits die hard. And no worries, no one violated Neji while he was drugged, except the author (lol, just kidding). And he was just tranquillized, no aphrodisiac. And it was only injected after they were done making out (well, Gaara at least).

**Bitenshi** – Yay! I still can't believe people love my fic. Thanks, and I'll update as much as I can. Unfortunately I'll be away for work stuff perhaps until Monday so I wont get a chance to write then, but I hope I can get back home as early as Saturday.

**Temari-hime** – I'm so flattered! Yes, I'll write more as soon as any free time comes up.

* * *

Chapter 20: Mission Accomplished

The world really was like a game of chess. The pawns moved around in predictable paths, easily swayed by those in higher power. The player uses skill to deceive their opponent and tricks them into leaving their king vulnerable. Pull the right strings, and the pawns can easily be taken control over. People were no different, and the proof of this was the Hyuuga in Gaara's arms.

The sand-nin looked down at the boy. He would still be unconscious for another few hours; Gaara had given him another dosage just to be on the safe side. He didn't need any interference. He was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to take the Hyuuga, and how everything had worked so well in his favour. Even the storm was a blessing, lasting long enough for him to get out of the leaf village and completely washing away his tracks. Kanaroe still would be impatient. Gaara liked to do things in his own way and in his own time. Running in and simply snatching the Hyuuga was just too obvious.

Gaara looked at the forest around him. It was densely packed and rarely traversed on, so he had the liberty to carry Neji. Once he got into more populated areas, he'd have to put him in the sack again. It was warm and the only source of air while within was a tiny slit in the side. Not that Neji was awake to feel the discomfort.

The sand-nin set the brunette down onto some moss and watched him. He really was pretty. It was a pity that such beauty had to fall victim because of his blood. Gaara ran his hand over the Hyuuga's cheek, caressing the soft smooth skin. So trusting…

After a few minutes of rest, Gaara stood and picked the nin up again. He was an hour or so away from his destination, so there was no rush. Kanaroe could just sit and wait for a bit longer. The redhead took his time wandering around the forest before setting off on the main path.

Before stepping out of the cover of the trees, he put Neji inside the sack. He placed a small kiss on the Hyuuga's cheek before closing the top of the sack and bringing it over his shoulder. It was heavy, especially with the gourd also strapped to the nin's back, but Gaara had been through worse. The boy walked out onto the path to finish his assignment.

- - -

"You're late."

Gaara stood there quietly.

"Do you have him?"

A nod. The redhead walked over to the figure in the shadows and placed the sack upon the table. The other undid the top and lifted Neji out. There was a moment of silence.

"You fool, you got the wrong one!"

Gaara narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "I did not."

"They why does his shirt have the Uchiha symbol on it?"

"Check his forehead. He has the mark. When he wakes up, you'll see the eyes. I assure you that is Hyuuga Neji. I'm not as incompetent as you like to think me."

There was a chuckle. "No, you are not. Where are Temari and Kankuro?"

"They are still back in the village. They will be able to distract the people there for a while and buy us some time."

"Good, good," the voice crooned. "Well, I'm finished with you for now so you may go get something to eat."

Gaara shrugged and walked towards the door. Kanaroe knew he didn't eat much, but the redhead didn't feel like sitting around in the same room with him. He would pop by later and see if there was anything else that was to be done.

The streets were deserted, but that was usually the case. The area used to be a thriving city before a war broke out in the town and destroyed a large portion of it. Now the abandoned buildings were home to thieves, assassins, and other shifty travelers. Even if he were hungry, Gaara wouldn't risk eating anything he got here.

Gaara wondered how long it would take everyone to notice that he and Neji were missing. The Hyuuga household would probably send out search parties, and when that didn't work, the whole village would probably group together to go looking.

Gaara didn't have any worries about his siblings. Temari was a first class actress, and he was sure she had some sort of sob story prepared about her dear younger brother missing as well. Kankuro was clever, and with some of his puppets he could mimic the forms of the two missing nin to send the search parties on a wild goose chase. By the time the confusion had peaked, they would be out of there and leave the town wondering how two student nin had managed to completely disappear into thin air in a night.

By the time they extended their search outside the village, the Hyuuga would already have served Kanaroe's purpose, and perhaps Gaara could finally achieve his own dream. Gaara hoped this was the last thing he would have to do. He had worked his ass off for Kanaroe for months, and took especially long on the most recent task so that he could have somewhat of a break.

He sat on a broken down porch and surveyed the scene around him. Rubble, buildings that looked like they were going to collapse at any moment, and random patches of scrubby, dirty grass. Gaara couldn't wait to get away from all that. Every now and then someone would walk by and look at the unarmed redhead in suspicious interest, usually deciding whether there was anything of value to steal.

Gaara was not concerned. Word got around pretty fast not to attempt such a thing with him. A few thieves had learned the hard way that Gaara did not die easily, and that he was not someone to mess around with. Kanaroe also spread the word around that no one was to bother either Gaara or his brother and sister. Kanaroe commanded a lot of power in these parts, and his word usually became the law in an otherwise lawless run-down town.

Personally, Gaara hated him with a very deeply rooted loathing, but beggars could not be choosers. Kanaroe was the closest thing that he had been able to find yet that could make his wish come true. The sand-nin could tolerate him, the feeling was mutual for Kanaroe, and that reluctant truce was enough.

Someone approached Gaara. He recognized it as one of the underlings of Kanaroe. Chances were Kanaroe needed Gaara's help with something.

The messenger confirmed the nin's assessment. "Kanaroe is asking for you."

Gaara rolled his eyes and stood up. "Ok, I'm coming." He walked back to Kanaroe's dwelling to find the man there, looking very smug, and Neji, who appeared very pissed. The Hyuuga was tied up against the wall in the way that only Kanaroe could tie someone. Gaara knew it was much too painful to get out of the bindings, and Neji was better off just sitting there and being cooperative.

"This is the right one," Kanaroe grinned as Gaara walked in. "Look at his eyes, look at that snotty disposition. This one is a Hyuuga."

"That's what I told you," said the sand-nin, rolling his eyes.

Neji looked surprised to see Gaara there.

"Gaara, what the hell is going on!" he shouted, struggling against his bindings. Little bits and snatches of memories were starting to come back to him, like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite make a whole. He was kissing Gaara...Gaara was kissing him...then he felt a slight pain and the world seemed to melt all around him and fall into darkness, and now he was awake with some creepy looking guy, tied up in an unfamiliar place, and there was Gaara at the door looking like this was all perfectly natural.

"Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself." Gaara's voice was calm and collected, and he watched the brunette with his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Gaara, this isn't funny, now where am I!" Neji did not like this at all. What was happening? What was Gaara doing here? Why did he bring Neji to this place? It all suddenly hit home that he had been sold out by Gaara to some creepazoid, who only verified the situation.

"Yes, definitely a Hyuuga." Kanaroe tilted Neji's chin up, looking into his eyes. Neji curled his lip and sneered. "Always so proud." The man brushed some strands of hair away from Neji's face in order to see the pale eyes more clearly. "I finally have my specimen to study the secrets of the Byakugan. First I'll need to see if this Hyuuga can be…persuaded…to share some important information about his unique abilities, but if that fails, then I can just go right to the source."

Neji stiffened and flinched away as Kanaroe drew back his hand and suddenly drove his fingers towards the boy's eyes, as if they were about to stab through and scoop one out. He stopped a hair away and chuckled.

"But that is a delicate process indeed. Wouldn't want to accidentally destroy and waste precious resources. After all, it will be much harder to get another Hyuuga to examine. Isn't that right Gaara?"

Gaara said nothing and stood with his arms folded calmly, watching everything.

"Gaara! Fuck you! Dammit, I can't believe I trusted you!" Neji screamed, the rage building inside of him finally bursting forth at the sight of the sand-nin's lack of concern. He should've stayed with Sasuke. Why did he trust Gaara? He never really got to know him, and this proved it. The Gaara he thought he knew wasn't a traitorous bastard out for self-gain. Neji wondered how much the redhead got paid to offer the Hyuuga prodigy on a silver platter to this strange and rather scary man.

Still, Gaara did not respond and simply watched, as if he was bored but nothing else was on.

"Now now, mind your manners, Hyuuga." Kanaroe patted Neji's cheek, and the nin snapped at his hand. "I'm sure Gaara was very hospitable to you when he was luring you here."

Neji just narrowed his eyes and kept glaring at a stoic Gaara.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I will need to eventually get to the heart of the matter and study the actual matter of the Byakugan. That is to say those rather enticing eyes." Kanaroe opened one of Neji's eyes wider with his fingers and the Hyuuga made another snap at his hand. "Yes, and perhaps the cranial nerves as well that help to control it. Your sister is good with those sorts of things, is she not?"

A nod from the redhead.

"Good. Then I'll leave that for when she returns. I don't want to needlessly destroy anything that could bring me closer to unlocking the secret." Kanaroe stood and turned to Gaara. "I leave you in charge of watching him when I'm not around. Make sure he doesn't try and make a run for it. If you can get him to squeal anything about his family secret, than it may work well in your favour. Keep that in mind. I'll see you later. I have a few things I need to check up on." Kanaroe nodded to Gaara and walked out the door, shutting and locking it behind him.

The room was silent as Neji glared hatefully at the sand-nin, who was standing in the middle of the room. Gaara did not seem to be terribly bothered and pulled up a chair. He sat in it and folded his arms, watching Neji quietly.

"You fucking prick."

No answer.

"I thought you were my friend!"

Still nothing. Gaara could have very well been asleep, except for the green eyes that stayed locked on Neji's. He was like a statue: cold, hard, and unresponsive.

"Damn you to hell! When I get out of here—" Neji started.

"You wont get out."

"Shut the fuck up Gaara. I can and I will. And then I'm going to hunt you down and beat you to an inch of your life for doing this to me!" Neji snarled and struggled against his tight bonds. He saw Gaara's lip corner turn up slightly in a smirk.

"I told you not to struggle. Those ropes will only get tighter, and the skin on your wrists seems especially sensitive to bruising."

Neji could not fully take in what a bastard Gaara was being. How could he be so calm! Again and again Neji cursed himself for trusting him. He had been used again without realizing it, and the consequences this time were far greater than a few hurt feelings. The brunette shivered at the remembrance of the man talking about dissecting the Hyuuga.

"I wont let that happen," he muttered to himself, and he saw Gaara smirk again. Now especially after seeing the nin's amusement, the brunette was doubly determined to get out of this alive and with all his body parts. And then he'd follow up on his threat to beat Gaara into the ground.

"Why did you do this to me?" Neji finally asked, looking up to meet Gaara's eyes.

Gaara shrugged. "I have my motivations."

"How much did he pay you?"

Neji was surprised to hear a small chuckle coming from Gaara. It was the closest thing to a laugh he had ever heard the nin utter.

"I have no use of money. If I want any, I can get it easily enough. Getting you and brining you here begs for a much higher reward."

"And that is?"

Gaara just shut his eyes and ignored Neji's question. "Don't take this situation personally. I still think you're too pretty to have to go through all this hardship, but I have to keep my priorities in order. Besides, it's survival of the fittest, and the pretty ones are usually the first to go."

"Your _priorities_?" Neji was appalled by Gaara's statement. He was talking about Neji as if he were just some expendable commodity. "Well I have some news for you, Gaara. I'm not going to be dissected, dismembered or what have you. I'll show you I'm more than a pretty face."

The sand-nin actually smiled. "I'd like to see that."

"You wont," Neji snarled, "because when I get out the first thing I'm doing is killing you."

"So I've heard," Gaara stated casually, unfazed by the threat. "Well don't worry your pretty little head about anything. Kanaroe wont be operating on you until my sister returns, so that buys you some time. I suggest talking more freely to him about what he wants to know and perhaps he'll be kind enough to use some anaesthetic during the operation."

"I'm not uttering a word," Neji said stubbornly, gritting his teeth.

Gaara shrugged again. "Suit yourself."

They sat for the rest of the time in silence and Neji found himself drifting off and thinking of home. He had gotten himself into this mess. The nin should have listened to Sasuke. The Uchiha probably saw right through Gaara, and Neji had been determined to show that there was nothing wrong with the odd exchange student. Now he was proved wrong, and his chances of survival were looking slim. But he would never stop fighting. If he couldn't get out alive, he would at least take someone down with him. And that someone would be Gaara.

* * *

This chapter was really rushed. As I said in response to one of my reviewers, I'm being dragged off for work stuff hopefully only until Saturday, but I may not actually get home until Monday…when another work-week starts. Blah. So I wanted to at least post one more chapter before I had to go. It's not as long as I wanted it to be, and it is done rather quickly, but I hope that it's okay. Oh, and Kanaroe is just an original character of mine. I planned to add descriptions of him in this chapter, but I ran out of time. I'll do that in later chapters. I thought of using an actual character, but it's….too troublesome. (loves to mention random Shikamaru or Shikamaru phrases) If anything's confusing it'll probably get explained later. I probably missed talking about a lot of important stuff in my rush to get this done on time. 'sweatdrop' 

Edit: Ok, I lied. I just got a call from my boss and the trip is being moved forward about a week. So apparently I ran around writing this like crazy in a rush for no reason whatsoever. Oh well….I guess this just means I'll be updating this week with more chapters. :)


	21. A Helping Hand

This is a relatively short chapter. I could've made it longer but it would've just been useless ramblings. Oh, and I have to give credit to my friend. The bear trap was her idea and I love her for it. :D Kowaikage. Go look her up and read her fics. You wont be disappointed. 'shameless advertising' I mean it.

**aura-chan the neko-jin** – Aww…don't hate Gaara. Well, yeah, I'm pretty mad too, but I'm sure he had his reasons. Still…yeah, I'm mad at him.

**Hurricane-rider** – WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

**Yaoilover S** – Hehehe…wish they were doing naughty stuff. But that's just because I'm a yaoi perv. Can't let that get in the way of the storyline though……….yet……. 'shifty eyes' And Super Sasuke™ in his Super Cape™ is going off to save his damsel in distress, Neji. Mmm….Sasuke in tights…. Heehee…..and every superhero needs a sidekick…..

**sinn** – Hehehe…yes…..Neji will squirm……

**Eilonwy** – I'm not sure what to expect either. I think the whole kidnapping Neji thing only surfaced in my head around chapter 17. And I'm relieved that my story flows smoothy, and especially regarding Chapter 20. I wrote that in broken little sections at work and home and then put them all together hoping that it all worked out.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** - I was a little in shock with the changes. Took me a while to find my way around. I guess I'm kind of neutral with the whole thing because I didn't have a lot of time to get attached to the old method. It's a little bit of a pain though trying to find which way to go. I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to upload.

* * *

Chapter 21: A Helping Hand

Sasuke was going to go crazy. This was the third day that Neji and Gaara were missing from class. No one in Kohana had seen them after the party. Only recently had people organized search parties to look for the two missing boys. There was a lot of speculation that perhaps they had somehow gotten trapped or killed during the storm. Sasuke didn't believe any of it. If anything of that nature had happened, they would have found a body by now. Instead, it appeared that Gaara and Neji had simply vanished without a trace.

It didn't take very long for Sasuke to be convinced that this was somehow Gaara's doing. Neji wasn't the type to spontaneously run off without a warning. And the suddenness of the disappearance was also quite suspicious. Sasuke wished the adults would just take it seriously and begin to see things the way he did.

Gaara's sister seemed to be devastated with the news of her brother's disappearance and spent every bit of her free time with the search parties, trying to find some trace of the redhead or the Hyuuga. Her brother, Kankuro, also went off on his own into the woods to try and track them down. Sasuke didn't trust them at all. The worried and anxious Temari was far too different from the cold and unconcerned blonde that Sasuke had spoken with at Gaara's house a few days previous. Something fishy was going on, and Sasuke was not going to wait around helplessly.

After class on the third day, Sasuke went home and began to pack. He could wait for the rest of his life for the others to try and find the two in the village; Sasuke knew Gaara wasn't stupid enough to stick around had he run away with Neji. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he headed off towards the woods. He had no clue which way Gaara had headed, but there were only so many ways out of Kohana that he could have taken. Sasuke would just have to pick one a pray that it was correct.

Sasuke was passing by Naruto's house when he paused. A mental battle warred in his head and once again he found himself knocking on the blonde's door. Naruto opened it and raised an eyebrow at the pack on Sasuke's shoulders.

"Neji's been gone far too long. I'm going to go looking for him outside the village," Sasuke explained.

Naruto folded his arms. "Well, good luck. You should tell someone so that they don't send out a search party for you as well."

"I'm telling you."

"Okay then. So when should we panic and bring you home, defeated?" Naruto had become especially sarcastic as of late.

"I want you to come with me." Sasuke shut his mouth but the words had already left it. He wouldn't take them back either, he realized, because that was what he truly wanted. Somehow he felt that with Naruto, he would be able to do this. For once in his life, he didn't want to walk the path alone.

Naruto looked surprised and shook his head. "I'm sorry Sasuke, but if you want to go tramp through knee-deep mud looking for Neji, you can go do that. I'm not going to go chasing for him."

Sasuke sighed and looked down. "I understand. Well, I'll see you later, Naruto."

The blonde nin nodded and shut the door.

Sasuke looked at it for a while before turning away and heading out of the village. Not many people were on the streets since the majority had gone out to look. Really, he should have expected Naruto's response. It was a fair one after all. Seeing through Naruto's eyes, Sasuke himself wouldn't want to go around with someone who had rejected him mercilessly to go find the source of the rejection. Naruto didn't owe him anything after what Sasuke had done to him, and there was no reason he should have to help find someone he didn't like.

The Uchiha managed to make it out of the village without taking anyone's notice and headed on a side path apart from the main. Gaara would not be the one to take a main road, or at least he doubted it.

Sasuke had been walking a few hours with no leads or clues that could possibly point him in the right direction. For all he knew, Gaara had gone completely the opposite way. Cursing the inefficiency, Sasuke kept going. He'd travel for a bit longer, and if still nothing turned up, he'd try a different way. It was all based on luck, and Sasuke knew that crappy luck tended to follow him around.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't pay attention to where he was going. It was almost too late by the time he realized his mistake. His foot hit something hard and there was a clank of metal. Sasuke quickly grabbed a kunai and slammed it down lengthwise. The small dagger bent slightly out of shape but stopped the jaws of the bear trap from closing any farther. Sasuke gave a sigh of relief. Had his reflexes not been so fast, the rusted up trap would have definitely taken out his leg.

Although he had successfully managed to keep the trap from clamping down on his leg any harder, he still was caught between the two metal plates. Sasuke tried to yank himself out but froze as he saw the kunai nearly fall out of place. If it did, there was nothing to hold the trap back from completely closing in around the nin's leg and crushing it.

Sasuke cursed and tried to carefully pry the trap apart. If only he had more hands, then he could force the metal open while holding the kunai to make sure that it kept the jaws open.

"Can't you do anything right?"

Sasuke looked up suddenly, tensing for an attack, but then relaxed into a glare. Naruto was sitting up on a tree branch laughing like crazy. "You're only two hours out of the village and already you're in trouble." The fox-nin smirked at the annoyed boy.

"Just stop mocking and help me get out of this trap." Sasuke made himself sound angry, but inwardly he was grateful to see the blonde.

Naruto jumped down and held onto the kunai while he used his other hand to help Sasuke pry the trap apart. The metal gave a resisting screeching sound but finally flew open. Sasuke quickly moved his leg away and rubbed at it to regain feeling.

"Thanks Naruto." The nin cocked an eyebrow. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Naruto shrugged and grinned cheekily. "You asked me to come, and I knew you were going to do something stupid like this. You'd never make it far without me."

"I'll admit that you helped me a little just now, but I am not that bad."

"Could've fooled me."

Sasuke growled but smirked. "Did you tell anyone you left?"

Naruto shook his head. "Only you."

"Do you realize that they'll be sending out a search party for two more missing nin?"

The fox-child waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. With me guiding the way, we'll be back before they even realize we're missing."

"Somehow I'm not reassured," smirked Sasuke.

Naruto smirked back. "Do you want me to go back?"

Sasuke turned and continued down the path. "No. Come on, brat."

The blonde grinned and ran after Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled as he walked ahead, so Naruto could not see it. The blonde really was a good person. He had no obligation to, and still he showed up to help Sasuke after he had been such a jerk to him. Only an idiot would help free the same leg which figuratively kicked him down. The world needed more idiots. Or maybe it didn't.

Naruto was special, and that was something Sasuke could not deny. He had to respect the nin for letting go of his bitterness and resentment in order to lend a helping hand. He was a selfless caring idiot troublemaker. No wonder Sasuke had fallen for him.

"Try not to get into too much trouble. I can only save your ass so many times."

Sasuke smiled at the overly cheery voice of Naruto from behind him, cutting into the quiet of the forest and scaring away a small group of birds. Yeah, that was who he had fallen for.

* * *

Yeah, really mushy (sorta) SasuNaru chapter that is short and pointless. In fact the purpose for it can be summed up in one line: The rescue team is on its way. But I figured you guys wouldn't be impressed by a one-liner chapter. ;) Besides, the rescue team may be on its way, but that doesn't mean it knows which direction to go. 


	22. Caged Bird

Back to Gaara and Neji! Yay! If you can't tell, I'll be switching the focus between Sasuke and Naruto to Gaara and Neji between chapters.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – There is going to probably be hints of SasuNaru as they continue to travel together. I don't want to promise anything because then the story just proves me wrong later when I write it, but there's a good chance.

Hurricane-rider – Lol, why did Gaara do it? And Gaara and Neji are in this chapter; fear not. And I started to read the fanfiction. Lol, I actually think I read one of the later chapters a little while ago by accident. I was over at a friend's house and she was reading fanfiction so I just leapt in and started reading what she was. I'm pretty sure it's the same fic, but I'll have to read a few more chapters to be sure. I love it so far. And I didn't realize I update that quickly until I realized how slow some updates were coming for other fics I want to read. 

**aura-chan the neko-jin** – Yeah, he is.

**Yaoilover S**- Bad Gaara! You were supposed to at least attempt to 'beep' Neji while he was out!

**coriander **– I know what you mean. I couldn't do it. Naruto's more going for Sasuke's sake than Neji. He doesn't really care if they find Neji or not, he just doesn't want Sasuke to run off alone and end up getting badly injured. It'd by harder on him to stay at home after Sasuke left and then deal with the guilt if Sasuke never returned.

**Kali Swifteye** – Aww…don't worry, there's still hope. The guilt's eating away at me.

* * *

Chapter 22: Caged Bird

"Eat it."

"No."

"You're going to be hungry."

"So?"

"I said eat."

Neji shook his head. "If you don't eat then I don't see why I sho—" The brunette quickly clamped his mouth down before Gaara could shove the spoon in while he was talking.

"Don't make me force it down." The sand-nin was fed-up with Neji's stubborn behaviour. He had spent the past half hour trying to get some sort of food into the boy. Kanaroe specifically told him to make sure that Neji ate. So here he was, shoving a spoon into the Hyuuga's face as if he was feeding some overgrown child. Neither he nor Neji were enjoying themselves.

The nin still kept his mouth firmly clamped shut, glaring at Gaara stubbornly.

Gaara rolled his eyes. Neji had left him no choice. He moved in behind the boy and kneeled down, pulling the Hyuuga towards himself.

Neji involuntarily turned red. "What are you doing?" He struggled a little.

Gaara moved his hand up to Neji's face. "This." He leaned Neji's head back and plugged his nose, angling the spoon so that it would be prepared to shovel food into Neji when the brunette opened his mouth to breath.

Neji squirmed in Gaara's grasp, but was unable to break the nin's iron grip. The redhead hoped Neji wouldn't hold his breath until he passed out. Then they'd just have to start all over again, and this was already turning out to be a pain in the neck. Luckily, the brunette didn't make it that long. He opened his mouth a crack to sneak a breath, but Gaara was prepared for this and drove the spoon with the food into Neji's mouth. He kept the boy's head tilted back so that he was forced to swallow it.

After accomplishing one mouthful in half an hour, Gaara scowled down at the still full dish. Neji was also looking bitter and glared at the sand-nin. Thankfully, Kanaroe walked in and prevented any more attempts to feed.

"So has he said anything of importance?" Kanaroe inquired standing in front of the two with his arms folded.

Gaara shook his head.

"I see. You know, you can make this a whole lot easier on yourself," he directed at Neji.

Neji just gave him a dirty look.

Kanaroe shrugged. "Very well. Come with me, Gaara. I'm sure he'll get hungry later after he sits for a bit."

Gaara followed the man to another portion of the house that looked like it once held an office. The desk was still there and Kanaroe took a seat at it. He didn't bother to invite Gaara to sit down, since the redhead never did. The only light in the room was that of a candle, and a small bit of sun that penetrated through a tiny crack in the upper wall. The sand-nin regarded his boss.

Kanaroe was only slightly middle-aged, but the start of some premature wrinkles around his eyes made him appear much older than he was. This was a man who had been thrust out into a merciless world and had to use every ounce of strength and cunning to fight his way to the top in order to survive. The band tied around his upper arm revealed that he had originally come from the sand-village, but the fine slash across the metal showed that he was not welcome there anymore.

He wasn't a very tall man, even though he was taller than Gaara, but his broad shoulders and posture created a much more intimidating appearance. Kanaroe had dirty brown hair that fell messily every which way. It was clear that he had little concern for his looks. His eyes were a light brown, almost an amber, but the dull faded appearance of the right one established that it was no longer of any use.

Kanaroe wove his fingers together and regarded Gaara. "I want that Hyuuga to talk."

"You know he wont."

"He will," Kanaroe said with determination, "Because I'm not giving him another choice. I want to know as much about the Byakugen beforehand as I can. Dead boys cannot reveal their secrets afterwards."

"So you expect the surgery to kill him?"

Kanaroe leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "I'm keeping all options and consequences in mind. If it doesn't, then that's all the better. However, if it does, I don't want to have the power but not the information to use it."

Gaara nodded to show he was listening.

"That's why I want you to get him to talk."

The redhead sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, I brought him to you, I watched him, and I force-fed him. I think I've done quite enough."

"You are not finished yet. I want you to make him talk in any way you can. He has a better chance of revealing himself to you than he does to me." Kanaroe smirked. "I'm sure you have your ways. You got him here after all."

Gaara shook his head. "He will not talk to me. The second we get on the topic of the Byakugen, then he'll know what is going on. The Hyuuga is not stupid."

"Neither are you." Kanaroe stood up. "I'll expect a status report tomorrow. You'll be spending the night watching him."

"What?" Gaara folded his arms. "I've done enough for you. There is no reason I should still have to do anything. You owe me!"

"You want a rather large and risky thing, Gaara. When I say you're finished working, then you are finished. That is all. I'll see you in the morning." With that, Kanaroe walked out.

Gaara scowled at the door. He was sick of working for Kanaroe, but what other choice did he have? Bitterly, he walked back to Neji.

Neji looked as thrilled as he was to see him. "I'm not eating."

Gaara shrugged and sat next to him on the floor. "Suit yourself."

The brunette bristled at the redhead, but couldn't lash out at him because he was tied. His ponytail had come loose and his hair now fell around his face. Gaara leaned forward and removed the leaf headband from Neji's forehead. He then had to remove Neji's teeth from his wrist.

"Give that back!" the nin snarled, struggling against his bindings.

Gaara ignored him and started to remove the bandages from around Neji's forehead. Again, the brunette resisted. When he had managed to unravel it, he ran his thumb over the mark on Neji's brow.

Neji stiffened and flinched away. "Don't touch me."

The sand-nin removed his hand and examined the headband instead. Neji glowered at him angrily.

"Are you loyal to your village?" Gaara suddenly asked.

Neji blinked. Again with the unexpected questions. "Of course I am. That's partially what that headband symbolizes."

"Does it?" the sand-nin stated, turning the headband lazily in his hand.

"Just what are you getting at?" Neji did not attempt to mask his annoyance.

Gaara looked at him. "Nothing." He placed the headband on the floor by the nin, but Neji couldn't put it back on since his hands were tied behind him.

A moment of silence and then, "Is your village loyal to you?"

Where was Gaara coming from? His inquiries made no sense and the sounded rather rhetorical. So Neji simply stayed silent.

The redhead didn't press for any answers and he lapsed into silence. The tranquil quiet was broken by the sound of Neji's stomach growling.

Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not hungry."

"Of course," the sand-nin smirked. He picked up Neji's food. "And if that's the case, I'll just finish this off so it wont go to waste." He picked up the spoon and began to eat slowly from the bowl. Neji looked longingly at the food that disappeared into other nin's mouth. Gaara smirked and took his time. He wasn't hungry at all, but he knew that Neji was. After a few more mouthfuls, Gaara scooped up some potato and offered it to Neji.

He watched the brunette's bottom lip tremble ever so slightly as the spoon pressed against it. Neji was starving, but his pride prevented him from accepting the food.

"We can do this the hard way again if you'd like," Gaara warned.

Neji gave in and allowed the spoon to enter his mouth. Slowly he chewed, savouring the taste, before swallowing. How long had he been here? How long had it been since he had last eaten? He never thought that regular, plain, and rather dry potatoes could taste so good. He finished the meal without another complaint. He'd need the strength anyway to get out of this.

Gaara smirked, pleased that his plan had worked. Mind you, he was still feeding the boy, but at least Neji was doing it willingly. It made it so much easier when he didn't spit the food back into the redhead's face. Neji finished everything and even drank the water that Gaara had offered him. Kanaroe would be happy to know that his specimen was being well taken care of, at least nutritionally.

Neji spent the rest of his time fidgeting against his bonds. The redhead rolled his eyes.

"You're only going to tighten them."

Neji scowled but sat still. Light began to fade in the room around them as nightfall approached. Gaara got up and lit a few candles before retaking his seat beside Neji. The brunette was again reminded of the day on the hill. Gaara still sat in his same unmoving position, staring straight ahead. The only difference was that Kohana wasn't spread underneath them, and Neji was tied up in some dirty dark house.

Neji slowly felt his eyelids become heavy. He hadn't slept the last time it was dark, because Kanaroe was there, watching him. Neji was afraid he wouldn't be able to open his eyes again if he slept in that man's presence. There was no reason he should trust Gaara either; after all, he apparently worked for the creep. Still, as time dragged on, Neji found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He had to stay awake…he could last one more night…

Gaara turned his head slightly as Neji's fell lightly against his shoulder. He wasn't sure how to react, so he just sat there unmoving as usual. The redhead watched Neji enviously. How nice it must be to have the luxury of sleeping. Gaara had gotten used to the long nights, he didn't even remember what it felt like to dream. He had even forgotten what it felt like to be tired. That had faded away into a dull continuous ache that Gaara had adapted to.

Seeing Neji sleep reminded the sand-nin as to why he was in this dump. To gain something, something else had to be sacrificed. Gaara had run out of options and this was his final hope.

Neji's face contorted and he began to toss in his sleep. The redhead watched him curiously. The Hyuuga seemed to be having some sort of nightmare. Again, Gaara was at a loss for what to do as Neji began to softly cry out and struggle more. Hesitantly, he brought his arm around Neji and stroked his head. That still seemed to do nothing, and only caused the brunette to fall sideways into Gaara's arms with his head on his chest.

Gaara froze, once again unsure of a course of action. Neji's squirming made him uncomfortable, and he wanted it to stop. The nin's cries were becoming louder and more panicked now. Gaara brought his other arm around Neji and slowly rocked him back and forth, once again petting his hair and thinking of how stupid he looked. At least Kanaroe wasn't there. He'd eat this up and Gaara did not want any more of his mockery.

Thankfully, it worked and Neji's face and body began to relax. Unfortunately, the brunette was still lying over Gaara's chest and resting his head on the sand-nin's opposite shoulder. Gaara's arms were still wrapped around him and with the angle Neji was laying, it was difficult to remove one of his arms without them both toppling over.

A small part of Gaara didn't mind the situation. He had certainly gained an interest in Neji while he was luring him away from the village, but a larger part of him demanded that he crush that attraction before it could be used against him. Neji was not here for a joyride. Gaara could not let himself fall for him, because he'd only have to watch as Neji got hurt, and perhaps even killed. Gaara had made it this far by taking protection behind his cold and emotionless exterior. He'd have to do so again if he wanted to accomplish his goal. Sacrifices had to be made.

Gaara was broken out of his train of thought when Neji began to shift in his arms. The brunette's eyes fluttered open, full of disorientation and confusion. He looked around and then turned slightly red.

"You fell onto me in your sleep," Gaara explained before the nin could speak.

"……sorry." Neji tried unsuccessfully to right himself. Gaara watched him for a moment before shifting his arms and helping him. Neji stared at the floor then looked up at the sand-nin. "You can sleep if you want. These ropes are so tight now I doubt I'll be able to go anywhere anyway."

Gaara smirked. "Nice try. I was told to watch you tonight."

"I was just offering," Neji shrugged. He had highly doubted he would be able to escape anyway. "How long have I been here?" he asked curiously.

The redhead shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I guess not…" Neji still wanted to know. Did people know he was missing now? Would they come looking? The nin didn't even know how far from Kohana he was. It wasn't like Gaara would tell him anyway, especially if he wouldn't even disclose the length of time Neji had been here.

It had to be at least a few days, but Neji wasn't sure how long he was unconscious and with all the stress he found that he couldn't remember all that many details since he got here. Just the talk of his Byakugan and dissecting him. Which would not happen. Neji had to keep telling himself this to keep up his hope. The rest of the night passed quietly, and this time Neji was able to stay awake. The light of a new day brought a grinning Kanaroe to check on his prized catch.

* * *

'groans' Sorry it took me so long to update guys. I had this chapter mostly written out a few days ago, but couldn't find a way to end it. So it does kind of have a hasty ending because it was starting to drag on and go nowhere. 


	23. Going Nowhere

Hehe, the chapter name of this describes the last chapter quite well. Hopefully it wont be the same situation for this chapter. Though chances are good it might…

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Here's your SasuNaru, or at least a chapter with Sasuke and Naruto. I think I have an idea where this fic is going to end up and I hope no one kills me for it. 'hides'

**aura-chan the neko-jin **– Yeah, and lets say he gets let out to go to the bathroom. That crossed my mind but I ended up not mentioning it

**Hurricane-rider** – Hehehe…it'll take a lot for him to admit it. He's in such denial, lol. ;) I'm glad you liked the chapter. I personally was forcing myself through the end of it and felt like I got absolutely nowhere, but if it was still entertaining, then that's great. You'll find out what Gaara wants soon enough. Technically it was supposed to be explained last chapter, but Neji decided to be a whiner instead. Not that I blame him. I'd be whiny too if I were in his situation.

**Laurenyelle the Silver** – You're pretty darn close. :) Good for you.

**Um…blank?** – OMG, I really have trouble writing/drawing Neji seme. And that's wrong in a way, but that's me. ;) And I really wasn't expecting the kidnap either until I wrote that chapter. The Gaara 'smex' thing was on my mind, but then plot came and hit me over the head. And last chapter a small part of me was going nuts thinking 'Gaara, come on, Neji's all tied up now…come on…' God, I'm disturbing sometimes…

**Yaoilover S** – Will it be like that? 'starts to cackle evilly'

**sinn** – Thanks! I think I actually have an ending in mind, which relieves me because I was panicking to my friend that I didn't know how to conclude the story…there's still a few bugs I have to work out in my idea, but at least it's there. There will still be quite a few chapters to write, though. At least five or six more I'm guessing. Probably more…lol.

* * *

Chapter 23: Going Nowhere

Sasuke sighed, anticipating the statement before Naruto fully opened his mouth.

"You have no clue where you're going, do you?"

The Uchiha sighed again and shook his head. "As a matter of fact, I don't, but I have a better chance actively looking for some clue than to sit at home and wait for everyone else to try and find Neji in a village where he isn't located."

"He could be in Kohana," Naruto said, "If you don't know where he was taken, then he could still very well be there, right under your nose."

"No. He's not there. That I'm sure of."

Naruto shrugged and continued to follow. "Going in circles seems just as productive as scouring the entire village."

Sasuke whirled around, his nerves slightly frayed after all the walking they had been doing the past couple of days. "Look, if you don't have something helpful to say, keep that mouth of your shut."

The blonde simply rolled his eyes. He was used to snappy remarks from Sasuke. They both were pretty tired. Sasuke hardly slept at all the previous night, and they ended up continuing on after a few hours of down time. It wasn't wise for Sasuke to push himself so hard. The exhaustion only weakened him and made them more vulnerable to attack. Naruto wasn't feeling as chipper as usual either, and suppressed a yawn rising up in him. The knowledge that they still had no leads only made the trip seem harder and more pointless.

Several times Naruto just wanted to give up and go home, but he had to remind himself that he was not a quitter. He couldn't leave Sasuke alone; forsaking him would only make his whole effort seem hopeless.

He caught Sasuke's shoulder as the nin stumbled. "Sasuke, stop. We need to rest."

"It's only the afternoon Naruto. I'm fine," stated Sasuke stubbornly, pushing the blonde's hand off his shoulder.

"We didn't have much time to rest at night either. Come on and sit down. You're pushing your body to far and endangering us both."

"Neji's the one in danger at the moment, we can't stop now!"

Naruto growled. He was getting sick of this. "Look, for all you know, he ran off willingly with Gaara."

"Neji didn't just run off to elope or something Naruto! That bastard took him!"

"And how do you know that for sure?" Naruto challenged.

"I just do. Neji wouldn't do that to me."

Once again, Naruto found himself rolling his eyes, and that only seemed to anger Sasuke more. Before he could start on a rant, the blonde cut in.

"Ok, say you're right about everything and Gaara took Neji. And while we're at it, let's say that just over that hill we'll find where he took him. Now look at the state you're in. What are you going to do? Run in there like a reckless idiot and no strength to back you up? You're exhausted Sasuke. I'm exhausted. Trust me, I think Gaara would be well prepared for any attack, unlike you, and you've at least got to be partially conscious in order to stand a chance. You remember when we first met him, how he used that sand to hold us back? We were perfectly fit then, and both of us were wrapped around his little finger. Now stop being a stubborn jerk Sasuke and listen to me for once. Sometimes, I know what I'm talking about."

Sasuke refused to look at Naruto the entire time he was talking. He didn't want to admit it, but the nin was right. Every muscle in his body ached, and it hurt enough to walk, let alone get into a difficult fight. Still, his head screamed that he couldn't give up on Neji, and he had to keep going. Naruto silenced that part of him by grabbing Sasuke by the back of the collar and dragging him to a shadier area, tossing him down at the base of a tree. The dark-haired boy found he didn't have the strength to resist. Perhaps Naruto was right after all.

The fox-child looked down at Sasuke with his arms folded. "I'll take first watch and you get some rest. Don't fake it either or I'll knock you out. I'm not going to have you get both our asses kicked if we run into trouble later on. For once, swallow that overbloated pride and listen to me."

Sasuke nodded and shut his eyes. Of course Naruto was right. He was glad the blonde was here to prevent him from letting recklessness completely take him over. Sasuke found it hard to think clearly when he thought of Neji, or Gaara, or Gaara with Neji. He furrowed his brow and tried to push the thoughts out of his head. He wouldn't get any rest otherwise.

The Uchiha felt a light touch on his forehead, brushing the hair off of his face. He cracked his eyes open slightly to see Naruto looking down at him. "Sleep," the blonde whispered, petting Sasuke's head. It was so soothing that Sasuke did find himself drifting off soon after.

When he awoke, he certainly felt better than he had before. Naruto was still up, watching the surroundings warily.

He turned his gaze back to Sasuke when the nin sat up.

"How long was I out for?" Sasuke asked. Everything looked the same as when he had fallen asleep.

Naruto shrugged. "A few hours. Feel any better?"

"A little," Sasuke admitted.

"You could use more time to rest, but I take it you want to get going on your search?"

Sasuke nodded. "What about you?"

The blonde shrugged. "I got more sleep than you last night so I'll be fine for a bit. Any idea as to which direction we should head next?"

"You know I have no clue. Let's go this way."

Naruto nodded and followed Sasuke. It turned out to be another disappointing day. Gaara was apparently very good at vanishing without leaving a trace. It was also possible that they were going in all the wrong places, but that was not to be helped. As it got dark, Naruto had to once again lecture Sasuke on the value of stopping for a rest and a bite to eat.

The blonde couldn't stand the dejected look on his ex-koi's face as he sat down and picked at his food.

"Every day we travel and don't find Neji is a day that decreases our odds of ever finding him," mumbled Sasuke pessimistically.

"We'll find him," Naruto stated confidently, more to encourage Sasuke than what he actually believed to be true. Things weren't looking good for finding Neji, but all Sasuke could do was try, and all Naruto needed to do was help him get through it.

"This is all my fault!" Sasuke suddenly burst out, chucking the roll he had been nibbling on into the bushes in front of them.

"Hey, that was good food! We need that to keep us alive during this search-and-rescue!" Naruto protested.

Sasuke ignored him. "I let him go with Gaara alone, even when I felt something wasn't right. I should've made him stay. This happened all because of me!"

SMACK!

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and his hand flew to his cheek. He looked at Naruto, who was glaring at him with cold blue eyes.

"Will you shut up with your self pity! You've been blaming yourself, pushing yourself, and feeling sorry for yourself this entire trip, and I'm sick of it. None of that is going to bring Neji back, and this must be the fiftieth time we've been over this. I thought you were supposed to be the smartest student in class, but it seems anything I say goes in one ear and out the other."

The blonde took a deep breath before continuing. "I've put up with a lot of crap from you recently, and I still come out here to help you. I'd appreciate it if you were considerate enough to take my help seriously, so that I'm not completely wasting my time. Now I don't want to hear another word about how we can't stop and rest or how this is all of your fault, because I swear I'll just drag you right back to Kohana, kicking a screaming if I have to."

Sasuke couldn't help noticing how attractive Naruto was when he was mad. His eyes had a way of blazing up wildly, and his cheeks flushed slightly when he yelled. He doubted that was the point of Naruto was trying to get across, and that he'd rather Sasuke focus on his words, but that beauty was something Sasuke did not want to ignore. The dark-haired nin smirked and looked down.

"Ok, fair enough Naruto. You can sit down now. I'll keep my complaints to myself."

"Not good enough," grumbled the blonde, retaking his seat.

Sasuke managed to chuckle. Naruto did make him feel a little better, even if it wasn't the complete happiness and relief that he'd feel if they had found Neji.

"I'll take first watch. You get some sleep," he told the fox-child.

"You sure you're up for it? And don't lie." Naruto was still huffy after his outburst of frustration.

"Yeah." Sasuke pulled Naruto towards him so that he was resting on his chest.

The blonde stiffened, confused with the sudden contact.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders at Naruto's expression. "It's more comfortable than the ground. Besides, it's a cool night and you're warm."

Naruto smiled into Sasuke's shirt. "Thanks."

The nin made an indistinct sound and focused on keeping watch. He didn't want to give Naruto mixed-messages, but he couldn't help but want the blonde near him. Naruto snuggled up to Sasuke's warmth and the nin could feel him relaxing and falling asleep. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through Naruto's fluff of hair.

When they found Neji, would he just push Naruto away like before? Sasuke was aware that he was often an ass, and he could see himself doing such a thing. An inner part of him that was still affected by his ex-koi's presence screamed out to Sasuke not to hurt him again. Sasuke pushed the conflict into the back of his mind and focussed on keeping watch. He didn't want to think about it now. What would happen would happen.

It was a clear night, and the stars were visible overhead, as well as a large full moon, which illuminated the landscape. It was a beautiful sight. The evening was quiet except for the occasional chirp of crickets. Suddenly, Sasuke detected something that wasn't a cricket. Something or someone was nearby. Sasuke slowly eased Naruto off him and got up. Naruto mumbled and fluttered his eyes open.

"Wh—" He was silenced by Sasuke's finger on his lips. Sasuke took the same finger and put it to his mouth, signalling Naruto to stay quiet. He crouched down and slinked silently towards the sound. Naruto caught on quickly and followed him just as quietly. They peered over the bushes to see what was making the sound. Sasuke could not believe the luck that had suddenly dropped down upon him.

Lit by the moonlight were Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's siblings. They seemed to be passing through, but had stopped for a rest. The blonde girl sat on a large boulder while Kankuro leaned up against a tree with his arms folded.

Sasuke felt Naruto's lips brush past his ear. "Why aren't they in the village? We're days away."

The dark-haired nin smirked and shrugged. This was too good to be true. If this were Gaara's brother and sister, then that meant that the redhead would not be far away. Or that he wouldn't be far away soon enough. They had to regroup sometime, or at least that's what Sasuke hoped. Even better was the fact that neither had any clue that the two leaf-nin were there.

Temari began to talk.

"So where is he now?"

Kankuro shrugged. "Not far. If we travel tonight and most of tomorrow, we should make it there. Kanaroe's message said that he needed your assistance with something."

The blonde sand-girl rolled her eyes. "Of course. All I have to say is that this better be the last thing or else." Her fingers wrapped tightly around her fan. "Gaara's been through enough crap with him."

Sasuke trembled as the excitement swelled inside him. They had mentioned Gaara; they were going to meet him. And where that sand-nin was, was where Neji was. This made all of his and Naruto's aimless wandering worth it. It seemed that luck had finally decided to favour them.

Kankuro pushed off from the tree. "We'll make it clear to him that this is the final straw. He'll meet our demands or he'll face our wrath."

Temari sighed. "I just don't want this to turn into another dead end for Gaara. He's loosing hope."

The boy put an arm around his sister. "We'll keep the hope alive for him if we have to. No point in focussing on all the things that can go wrong. We've made it this far, haven't we?"

Temari nodded.

"Are you tired?"

"No."

"Then let's continue on."

The two got up and began walking off. Sasuke darted a glance towards Naruto, who nodded and scampered back to get their things while Sasuke quietly trailed the two sand-nin. They would have to be extra careful not to be noticed. If they were, then the whole situation would fall through and they'd never be able to find Gaara. Sasuke felt his pack slide onto his shoulders as Naruto joined him. Temari and Kankuro were walking at a moderate pace, so it wasn't difficult to keep up.

Sasuke felt strangely energized. The ache in his muscles was gone, and replaced by the eagerness to be moving. He was getting somewhere; he was going to find Neji. There was no time for pain.

"Do we have a plan for when we get there?" whispered Naruto.

"Yeah," responded Sasuke. "Beat Gaara's ass into the ground repeatedly."

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "But I'm the one who never has the plans, and you're supposed to be the person who comes up with them."

Sasuke put his finger to his lips and the two continued to follow the pair in silence. Naruto was pretty sure it was more to stop the discussion that was revealing how little of a plan Sasuke had, rather than the fear of being overheard.

An owl hooted overhead as the night carried on. Temari and Kankuro stopped only once more to take a break for a few minutes before traveling again. Sasuke was glad Naruto had forced him to rest earlier. Falling from weariness was not an option right now. He still had no clear plan of action in mind, so he'd have to play it by ear. Either way, he would get Neji back, or die trying.

* * *

So Naruto looses his cool with Sasuke a lot in this chapter, but I don't blame him. He was beginning to annoy me as well. I still think Sasuke should be way more grateful for how nice Naruto is being to him, when he certainly doesn't deserve such treatment. Part of him is just stringing Naruto along, using him as his Neji-replacement until he can get him back, though I hope the part that truly wants Naruto for himself wins over. Um, I'll try and get the next chapter posted ASAP, and hopefully before Sunday. On Sunday, I'll be away on work stuff until Wednesday or Thursday, so I'll attempt to write as much as I can so I can at least send a completed chapter when I get back, instead of starting right from scratch. 


	24. The Reason

Neji and Gaara again. I noticed I've gotten looser with my point of views. I used to be strict with chapters being only one person's POV, but now I'm starting to mix and match. Just to remind everyone that this is A/U and there is OOC. Gaara has several different moodswings throughout this chapter. But he's just weird. ;) Oh yeah, and while I'm at it **I DON'T OWN NARUTO**. Or Neji. Or Sasuke. God, I wish I did… 'thinking yaoish perverted thoughts'

**Yaoilover S** – Yay!

**Hurricane-rider **– Yeah, I know he's a 'seme' character, but I have way too much fun sticking him in uke positions. I'm sure he could be seme if he applied himself (in this fic at least—in the anime he'd have no problems taking over, but there's a whole lot less yaoi action in the anime). And Temari and Kankuro aren't really expecting to be followed. They took a rather round-a-bout way to loose anyone on their tail, and it just so happened that they had started on the real path when Sasuke and Naruto found them. Neji and Gaara will still have time…And I don't think I update fast, I just think everyone else updates too slow. 'is dying to read more of some fics that still aren't updated'

**sinn** – Poor Sasuke doesn't know what to think anymore.

**Kawaii kitsune-kun** – Lol, I do need to hope because the story tends to get out of hand and what I want to write never gets written. For example, as I said previously, Gaara's reason for working for Kanaroe was supposed to be discussed a few chapters ago. But Neji decided to whine. Also, back when Neji and Sasuke were caught at his place in the rain, I expected that to be a pure yaoi-ish chapter but Gaara showed up. Grr…. Not to mention Gaara was never supposed to be in this fic, but I guess it's okay that he's here now. I may have a plan for an ending, but the story may warp again and totally foil my idea.

* * *

Chapter 24: The Reason

Neji winced as his body hit the wall. Still, he stubbornly glared at Kanaroe with his mouth firmly shut. He didn't care what was done to him, the nin would never give any information about his family or his abilities to such a creep.

Gaara stood at the other end of the room, staring off into space, seemingly ignorant to the fact that Neji was getting the crap beaten out of him.

"If it kills you, you will tell me your secrets." Kanaroe growled and held Neji against the wall by his throat. "I've lost my patience with you."

Neji forced a smirk on his face despite the fact that he was having trouble breathing. "Then I'll die with you knowing nothing."

Kanaroe snarled and threw Neji to the floor. With his hands tied behind him, Neji had no way to brace himself from the impact, and fell hard against the wood. He had hardly been on the ground a few seconds when he was pulled up again by his hair.

Kanaroe widened Neji's right eye with his fingers. "You see me? Well, you wont soon enough, because this eye is going to be mine. Whether you tell me or not indicates how painful the procedure will be." The exiled nin chuckled and ran his fingers to Neji's other eye. "But I have no need for the second. Perhaps I should remove it right now!" Neji cringed and struggled as Kanaroe's fingers approached his left eye and began digging into his eyelids.

The pain intensified and then suddenly stopped. Neji still felt Kanaroe's nails digging into his skin before the pressure lessened and then went away all together. Cautiously he looked to see what had happened.

Gaara was standing behind Kanaroe now, with sand pouring in a steady stream out of his gourd. It was wrapped around the exile's wrist, holding his hand back, and even moving it away.

"Gaara! You bastard, what do you think you're doing?" Kanaroe snarled.

Neji was impressed with how steady and calm the redhead's gaze was as he spoke to his enraged boss. "It isn't wise to risk damaging the Hyuuga's other eye. You don't know if it will be needed, and if the boy somehow dies of blood loss, they you're up the creek without a paddle. You let rage control you far too easily."

Kanaroe looked incredibly angry and stalked up to Gaara. "You're not the one giving orders." He swung at Gaara, and the sand instantly flew up to block the blow. Kanaroe smirked. "That wont always be there to protect you."

Gaara seemed unaffected, bored even. "With the rate your going, I find that unlikely."

The man did not look happy, and his hand twitched, yet it did not try to strike Gaara again. "Perhaps if you remain obedient and stop ordering me, then that will change."

The sand-nin shrugged. "I've been more than a good underling." He walked over to Neji, cupping his chin and examining the slight cuts above and below his eyelids. "And what would you have done if it turned out you needed the other eye and it had already been totally mutilated in your own blinded rage?"

Kanaroe was silent, but Neji could see him boring holes with his eyes in Gaara's back.

"Besides," continued Gaara, "They are gorgeous eyes, and it would be wrong to take them out in such a crude manner." Neji shivered as Gaara's thumb ran over the cut under his eye and wiped the blood away. The sand-nin licked the blood off his thumb without breaking gaze with the brunette. Neji saw something frightening flicker in the deep emerald of Gaara's eyes, but it was soon gone.

Gaara turned away and moved back to where he was before. "Try not to act so rashly again."

Somehow the redhead had gotten away with giving orders to his own boss, and Kanaroe didn't press him any farther, though he still looked quite furious.

Neji braced himself as Kanaroe approached him again, but it was interrupted by the arrival of someone at the door.

A strange man stood hunched over at the threshold with a rather large owl perched on his shoulder. Neji was surprised that the person could even hold up the owl, since looked so thin and brittle. He very much resembled a rather small and crooked branch off a tree in winter, which an owl had chosen to rest on.

Gaara gave him little notice and didn't even turn to acknowledge the newcomer's presence. Kanaroe on the other hand, grinned and welcomed the man in. The stranger hobbled over to Kanaroe, and it looked like a miracle that he could even walk. The owl bobbed slightly with each uneven step that its master took. Kanaroe leaned down as the stranger whispered in his ear. The exile's face hardened as he listened, and he straightened up and nodded.

"Thank you. You are dismissed." He tossed a gold sac to the man, who grinned with broken and crooked teeth before hobbling out with his owl.

"Gaara." Kanaroe motioned the sand-nin to follow him to another room of the house, leaving Neji to sit in the room alone.

Neji squirmed forward a little bit, but the ropes attached to the wall prevented him from getting very far. He had already tried gnawing at it, but it was thick and well woven and would not break easily. He wished he could use his hands to wipe the hair out of his face. It had fallen all over his face when he moved forward, and the strands had stuck and clumped in the drying blood around his eye. The numb throbbing of his shoulders and arms was a constant reminder of Kanaroe's determination to get answers about the Byakugan.

The entire time Neji was being beaten on and interrogated, Gaara had just stood there, unrreacting. That angered the brunette so much, yet he was also surprised when the sand-nin had stepped in to prevent Neji from getting seriously wounded. The redhead was so complex and unpredictable. It was like he had a different personality to suit different needs. Neji shuddered, remembering the predatory gleam he saw in Gaara's eyes when he tasted the blood.

Back in Kankuro's office, Gaara stood there stoically, waiting for Kanaroe to speak.

"My messenger that arrived informed me that your sister and brother are less than a day away from here."

Gaara nodded, and waited, sensing that there was something more.

Indeed there was, and Kanaroe leaned back in his chair and continued on. "He also informed me that there were two leaf-nin following them."

"So why didn't he just do away with them himself, or get my siblings to deal with it? Surely two nin would be easy to handle."

"Yes, but I have concerns about whether they are the only two. He had his bird scout the area, and claimed she saw nothing, but that doesn't mean that there aren't others. I want to be absolutely certain that we don't get into an unfavourable position. Weren't you the one preaching moments ago not to be reckless?"

Gaara said nothing. Kanaroe wasn't just telling him this for fun. There was something he wanted the sand-nin to do.

Again, he was correct. "So I will allow Temari and Kankuro to lead the two leaf-nin here where they can be dealt with accordingly. I have much more power and advantage in this area than I would with an ambush in the forest. If they are the only ones, then they can be easily snuffed out, as you said. However, if there are more, I at least want the battle to occur on my turf. As to how you come in, I do not want to loose what was so difficult to obtain. I am leaving you in charge of the Hyuuga. Take him elsewhere and hide him so that he cannot be found. I do not want him recaptured and freed by his allies. We've all come too far for that. If you somehow get caught, kill the Hyuuga. I do not want them having the satisfaction of taking him back. Decapitate him and get his head to me as soon as you can, if at all possible. I may still be able to extract his eye."

"And then?"

"And then you shall get what you desire."

"I better." Gaara turned away and began to walk out.

"You will be leaving immediately."

The redhead nodded and continued on. He found Neji straining against his ropes, again, with no success. He bristled as Gaara approached him, and then found himself crashing forward as Gaara released the mechanism for the ropes on the wall. He didn't have a moment to attempt to escape before Gaara grabbed the ropes and pulled him to his feet. He unbound Neji's ankles and legs with one hand while the other had a firm grip on the brunette.

As soon as his legs were freed, Neji kicked his knee upwards in an attempt to hit Gaara and knock him out so he could make a run for it. Sand suddenly blocked the attack, as it had with Kanaroe.

Gaara smirked. "Don't try anything funny." He began to pull the nin with him as he headed out the door.

"Where are we going?" Neji asked.

"On a little trip."

Neji winced as the sunlight hit his sensitive eyes. He had been kept inside for so long that the sudden contrasting brightness blinded him for a moment. He stumbled a bit as the sand-nin pulled him along. Gaara suddenly pulled Neji to himself from behind and Neji felt a cloth being draped over his eyes. The redhead secured the knot behind Neji's head and continued to lead him.

The Hyuuga stumbled. Gaara was moving rapidly, and Neji could not see where they were going due to the blindfold. It stopped the pain from the brightness of the sun, but he doubted that was the intention. Most likely it was to keep Neji from tracing his way back to where they were, which was foolish, because the brunette hardly knew where he was anyway in the first place.

Several times Neji nearly fell over as Gaara dragged him along. He could hear the redhead sigh.

"Can't you keep up?"

"Hey, at least you can see," growled Neji. He struggled in Gaara's grip, but the boy had a firm hold on him.

"Honestly, you're such a pain sometimes."

"_I'm_ the pain? Well yo—" Neji gasped as he felt his feet leave the ground and his head go upside-down. From the pressure on his waist and the solid grasp on his legs, he deducted that Gaara had thrown him over his shoulder. How the frail-looking nin ever did it was beyond Neji. Angry with Gaara for everything that had happened, he wriggled and generally made it difficult for the nin to keep a firm hold on him.

"Do you really want to fall flat on your face that badly?" he heard Gaara growl. "Stay still."

"I will not! And on top of that I'll scream at the top of my lungs."

"And what would that accomplish?"

"Perhaps I will get saved, or have a bear attack you or something."

"I have no objections feeding you to a bear if you do not stop squirming."

Neji took a deep breath to yell. It was a stupid thing to do, and he didn't know if it'd be of any use. If anything, it would annoy the hell out of Gaara, and that was good enough for Neji.

"Do you really want me to shove a lump of cloth into your mouth? Think about that before you decide what you are going to do."

The Hyuuga gritted his teeth and held back his yell. He was already thirsty, and wasn't willing to have a makeshift gag absorb what little moisture his mouth still retained. Gaara was a bastard.

Neji lost track of time as he was blindly carried somewhere by Gaara. The redhead did not seem to tire. Eventually, the brunette felt himself being righted again. He felt a little light-headed from having his head upside-down for so long and groaned slightly.

Neji felt the knot behind his head loosen up and the blindfold was taken off. He hissed as the sweat that had formed on the cloth brushed past his cuts around his eye. The hair had gotten so mussed around the area that it felt like little pinpricks were driving into his skin. There was a pressure on his arms and torso. He opened his left eye and saw Gaara wrapping ropes around a large rock and securing Neji to it.

It was around dusk, and the sun was just disappearing under the tree-line. They were beside some lake deep in the woods. Neji did not recognize the place, but then again he had rarely travelled very far outside of Kohana.

Gaara kneeled by the lake edge, soaking a different cloth into the water. He got up and approached Neji, taking the boy's chin in his fingers. Neji tried to turn away and bit his lip as the water brushed past the wound around his left eye. It stung, and hurt even more as Gaara began to unstick the hair that had clumped in it.

Gaara was strangely gentle with the task, even though it still hurt. He took the time to individually move small portions of the hair, instead of just ripping the whole clump away at once. Every now and then he dabbed the spot with the cloth to moisten the dried blood and make things easier.

Neji hated it. He hated the fact that Gaara could be a bastard at one moment before doing a complete 180-degree turn and becoming a caring friend. The brunette settled for the fact that Gaara was really a bastard 24-7, and that him suddenly being nice didn't redeem his previous behaviour one bit.

Still, Neji felt himself relaxing under Gaara's gentle touch. The sand-nin didn't say a word as he laboured to clean the wound. Once done, he moved back to Neji's hair, and began undoing the tangles that had formed with the dry blood. Neji always loved to have his hair played with. Not that he ever stooped to have someone else touch it, but he often spent long stretches of time brushing it. Gaara was still very careful, making the difficult job as painless as possible. One minute he was threatening to feed Neji to a bear, and now he was delicately fixing the boy's hair. Why was he so goddamn confusing?

"What is wrong with you?" Well, that was one way to get his thoughts out into the open.

"What do you mean?" Gaara didn't look up as he spoke and continued with his task.

"One moment you're a jerk, and now you're being nice. Make up your mind!" Neji made his frustration clear in his tone of voice.

Gaara shrugged. "What would you like me to be?"

Neji glared. "Nice. But consistently."

"Nice people don't live very long. This is not a pleasant world we live in," the sand-nin stated.

"What the heck does that have to do with anything? At least decide on a side. I'm sick of you constantly switching on me."

"And why does it bother you?" inquired Gaara.

"Because." Neji narrowed his eyes and winced slightly as he felt his cuts sting again. "I no longer know what to think about you anymore."

Gaara did not seem to be bothered in the least by Neji's statement and still worked with untangling the brunette's hair.

"Why did you do it?"

"Hm?" Gaara finally looked up and met Neji's eyes.

"Why did you sell me out like you did? Why do you treat me like crap and then all of a sudden turn around and protect me?" Neji had to cut off as he was taken over by a harsh cough as a result of his dry throat.

Gaara stood up and went back to the water, cupping his hands and drawing water into them. He returned to Neji and held his hand up to the Hyuuga's mouth. "Drink."

Neji did so before he tried to continue. "See? Like that! It's like you're someone afflicted with multiple personalities! Why can't you stay consistent?"

"Everyone exchanges their mask for another depending on the situation. Do you act the same when you are in front of others as you do when you are alone?"

"That has nothing to do with anything," Neji said in annoyance. "I don't act like a friend than turn around and stab that person in the back. Even worse, you turn around again and try to heal the backstabbing wound. You make absolutely no sense."

Gaara shrugged again and said nothing.

"If you're not in it for money, then why the hell are you working for that guy? It's clear to me that you hate his guts, yet you still run around like his little pawn, deceiving and kidnapping specimens for him."

"You should know by now that sometimes you have to do things you generally don't want to do in order to reach a goal. As a ninja, aren't you obligated to perform assignments for your village without question? You can't think of right and wrong. You're the pawn. I have my own objective in mind, and do what I can to obtain it. You have no objective, and run around doing what others say in order to gain nothing."

"So you'll trick me and sell me out to be taken apart for your own selfish needs?"

Gaara shook his head. "You take things far too personally. It is simply an unfortunate thing that I was told to get you in order to finally reach my goal."

Neji snarled. "Then what is your all-encompassing goal that obviously exceeds anything like loyalty or trust?"

Gaara looked up at Neji with his bright emerald eyes. "Freedom."

"What?" The last time Neji checked, he was the prisoner, not Gaara. "Just what are you talking about?"

"You really do take so much for granted. All I ever wanted is what you've always had and taken advantage of." Gaara's voice had taken a strange tone. He sounded almost childish, and his gaze shifted from Neji to the sky.

"And what is that?"

Gaara shut his eyes and leaned his head back. The moonlight shimmered over his hair and skin and Neji saw yet another side of the sand-nin. This part was innocent and softened; it was as if the hard exterior that normally covered Gaara had melted away to reveal the vulnerable part within.

"All I ever wanted was to be like everyone else. I want to be my own person, I want to know what it is to live and be free."

Neji was still incredibly confused. Gaara seemed hardly the type to be kept prisoner in any way. He couldn't be talking of Kanaroe, because Neji doubted that Gaara would take much crap from that man. "Just who are you prisoner to?" he asked.

Gaara turned and looked at Neji. "Long ago, I had a demon sealed within me. Because of him, I will always be protected. But such things come with a price. I am merely a shell for him to inhabit, and as such I am prisoner to him. I have gained control over the years, and am able to keep him in check, but there are still times when he is able to break free." Neji was startled to hear a slight trembling in the sand-nin's voice. "I want to be free of this curse. I don't want to hurt anymore."

Neji wasn't sure whether Gaara meant himself or others, but that seemed besides the point. He was amazed at the transformation that had come over Gaara. The normally confident nin suddenly looked lost and alone.

"I've tried so hard to break free, and I can't turn back now. It would make all my previous efforts wasted. Not only mine, but my brother and sister's. They have both put aside their own needs on my behalf, and I cannot let failure bring them down as well. We're in this until the end, until I can escape this bondage. I'm sorry that the price of my freedom had to be you, but I cannot back down now. Not when I've made it this far."

To say Neji was in shock was an understatement. Gaara's sudden mood-swing had thrown him enough without even getting to the information overload.

"And how does capturing me free you?" he asked.

"Kanaroe knows a way, and if all else fails…"

"What?" Neji did not like where this was going.

"You could serve as an adequate vessel for the demon."

Neji narrowed his eyes. "I should've known that even when you're sincere you're still a jerk."

Gaara sighed and looked at him. "Once again you take things too much to heart. I am not happy that you are the one being dragged into this, but I am not about to give up what I have been working on for most of my life to achieve."

Neji understood what Gaara meant, but that didn't make it right and it didn't make him happy. He made this clear to the sand-nin by glaring coldly at him. Gaara returned to fixing Neji's hair, and the brunette flinched away from his touch.

"Get away from me."

Gaara moved his hand away from Neji's hair and instead ran his fingers over Neji's cheek. "I'm sorry it had to turn out this way."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be when I get out of these ropes," growled Neji. He bit the hand that Gaara was using to stroke his cheek.

The redhead simply watched his hand clamped in the boy's teeth and brought his other hand up to push the hair behind Neji's ear. The brunette spat out Gaara's hand and kicked out at him. Gaara easily caught Neji's foot in his hand and leaned in close to the nin.

"What are you going to do now?" His green eyes sparkled in amusement.

Neji stupidly kicked out his other foot, only to have that caught as well by Gaara. He was completely vulnerable now, with his wrists tied behind his back and both his legs on either side of Gaara in the sand-nin's grasp. This would be a rather embarrassing and compromising position if any passerbys were to witness it. Of course they were in the middle of the woods, and from the denseness of the trees, Neji was pretty sure that he and Gaara were the only ones for a few miles.

Neji found himself helpless as the redhead leaned in and lightly kissed him on the lips. It was gentle, like his touch from before, but Neji could feel the restrained heat and power that hovered behind that soft contact. The Hyuuga hated Gaara for taking advantage of his defenseless position as the sand-nin leaned in to claim another kiss.

"Why did it have to be you?" he heard the boy whisper before his lips were covered yet again. His contact gradually became more forward and aggressive, until it was comparable to the night he had sedated Neji.

Neji tried to turn away from Gaara's assault of kisses, but the sand-nin would not allow him that. He gripped onto Neji possessively and buried his face in the boy's neck.

"Sasuke was right about you," growled Neji.

Gaara moved away from Neji's neck to look at him and show he was listening.

"He told me you were never to be trusted. I called him prejudice before, but now I see it was purely good judgment."

Gaara smirked. "I'd just call it pure jealousy."

Neji glared. "You have some nerve to tell me you're using me in order to exorcise a demon and then turn around and start to kiss me."

Gaara shrugged. "What can I say? You look gorgeous in the moonlight."

Neji turned away and scoffed. "If you think flattery will get you far, you're wrong."

Gaara shrugged. "Then I'll be wrong. It doesn't mean I'll stop. I will say what I feel needs to be said, and one thing is that you are quite beautiful."

The Hyuuga glared. "Yes, and far too pretty for you, so get off."

The redhead didn't move and renuzzled his face into the crook of Neji's neck. "You are far too pretty to be caught up in this messy situation. But fate is often cruel."

"You're the one that's being cruel," snapped Neji. "It's your choice to have me here. You'd let me go if you really cared."

"And then what?" inquired Gaara. "Start over from square one again? Loose control and kill more people? Is your one life really more valuable than the lives of dozens of others?"

"Apparently not, but it's the only one I have, and I'll be damned if I'm giving it up easily."

Gaara smirked. "That is good to hear."

Neji rolled his eyes. "I've stopped trying to make sense of your conflicting statements."

The redhead shrugged. "My own life is very much a conflict."

Neji snorted and said nothing. Gaara still did not move away, and resettled against him, much to the nin's irritation. It was comfortable and warm, but Neji did not want any warmth that came from Gaara.

There was quiet for a long while, and Neji was unsure as to whether Gaara had fallen asleep. He shifted slightly. "Are you asleep?" he whispered, hoping that the sand-nin was and that he could at least try to loosen the ropes.

The redhead startled Neji with his rather clear and sudden voice. "No. If I were to sleep, you would be dead."

Neji looked at Gaara in confusion. He should be used to the fact that half of what came out of the nin's mouth made no sense.

"When I sleep," Gaara explained, "The demon arises, and I wake up to find people dead. I haven't slept in a very long time."

"That's impossible," stated Neji, "Everyone needs to sleep sometimes, or your body will just force you to it eventually."

"Don't tell me what is impossible," said Gaara, turning away. "When you wake up in the blood of your friends and bystanders, that fear of it happening again is enough to drive anyone to do anything. You may call me selfish for wanting to be free. And you would partially be right. I want to be my own person; I want to dream again. But how many more innocent lives would have to be taken every time I loose control?"

Neji stayed quiet, unsure as to how to respond to his statement.

"Does your wound hurt?"

The brunette shook his head.

"Good." Gaara leaned forward and lightly kissed the lid of Neji's left eye. "Are you tired?"

"No. Stop kissing me."

"But you enjoy it."

Neji curled his lip. "Don't tell me what to enjoy. I think you're a sick monster."

Gaara shrugged. "Most do. I've grown accustomed to that fact now. But say I were free of the demon, would you be happy with me?"

"Not after what you've done," replied Neji angrily. "You've ruined any chance of me ever looking at you favorably again. You're nothing but a double-crossing, lying, sadistic jerk. I hat—"

Neji could not finish his words as Gaara's lips cut him off. "Don't say that," he whispered, resting his forehead against the nin's. The brunette scowled back. Gaara's lip corners upturned slightly, but it was hardly enough to be called a smile. "You make me happy. From the moment you met me, you never judged me up front. You gave me a chance that I rarely get; you devoted yourself to becoming my friend."

"And look where that got me," remarked Neji sarcastically.

Gaara sighed and looked torn. He started to move away from Neji, but startled the Hyuuga as he suddenly moved quickly back in, taking the boy's breath away in yet another sudden kiss.

"Mmft! Gaara sto—mmph"

"Why? You like it."

"I do no—mmm." Neji cursed the moan that came unwillingly from his throat when the redhead's tongue slid into his mouth.

Gaara smirked and pulled away. "See?"

Neji gave him the darkest glare he could muster.

"Perhaps there is a way around this," continued the sand-nin, looking contemplatively at the lake.

"Around what?"

Gaara just smirked. "Sleep now. We may have to travel tomorrow, and I expect you to walk this time."

"I'm not shutting my eyes around you. You might molest me or something while I'm asleep."

"I'd prefer if you were awake." Neji's eyes widened and Gaara chuckled. "I am joking. You can sleep. I need time to think tonight." With that, the sand-nin turned away and sat at the edge of the water. Neji was glad that he had given him his space, most likely to reassure the boy that he was going to leave him alone. It was still a few more minutes before he finally shut his eyes and tried to sleep. When he woke up in the morning, Gaara was still sitting by the lakeside, gazing out at the calm clear water.

* * *

There, I made the chapter extra-long. Hopefully it'll satisfy you guys until I get back on Thursday. Don't know if I'll have the next chapter ready to post right away when I get back, but I figure I update frequently enough anyway. 


	25. Ambush

Short (somewhat) filler chapter of Naruto and Sasuke. Just to update you guys with what's happening with them before I concentrate back on Gaara and Neji. Thought I'd give you guys a bit more before I left.

**Bitenshi** – Yeah, Neji is starting to become wrapped around Gaara's little finger. But I'd be lying if I didn't say it wasn't the same for Gaara. And I love SasuNeji as well.

**Yaoilover S** – Hehe…I wanted more yaoi in the last GaaraNeji chapter but I had to close it off somehow since it was getting rather long.

**Ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami **- I think he's sexy. :D

**Sinn** – Thanks. I'm so glad you liked it. Wish there was more yaoi though…

* * *

Chapter 25: Ambush

"This was almost too easy," murmured Naruto as he and Sasuke watched the two sand-nin walk into the ruins of some village.

Sasuke nodded. "I know, but maybe our luck has finally changed. Stay on your guard though." Sasuke slid out his unbent kunai and slinked cautiously into the town. It looked pretty much deserted except for random flashes of faces in the dark gaping windows.

"I don't like this place," remarked Naruto, looking warily around.

Sasuke said nothing. They had lost sight of Temari and Kankuro, but the nin was pretty sure that this was the destination they wanted to be in. This was where they would find Neji.

"Sasuke!" Naruto pushed the boy quickly out of the way of some shuriken that thudded into the earth where he had been standing.

The Uchiha squinted his eyes to the building above. A man was standing on top of the roof, smirking down at them. "Welcome leaf-ninjas. I was so sure that your village would send at least slightly older and more experienced rescuers to recapture the Hyuuga."

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. "What have you done with Neji!"

The man laughed. "My name is Kanaroe, runt. And you may have the Hyuuga back when I am finished with him."

"Where is he!" Sasuke felt the rage building in his chest, and he switched his sharigan on. Neji was here, and he was going to get him back.

Kanaroe looked with interest at the Uchiha's eyes. "If things don't work out with the Hyuuga, than your eyes could serve as an adequate replacement. I'll have to be extra careful not to damage them when I kill you."

"If you think I go down easily, then you're about to be proven wrong," snarled Sasuke, bracing himself.

"They're all around us," Naruto muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Sasuke. Sure enough, the dark-haired boy could see glimpses of other people in and on the buildings surrounding them. They hadn't gotten out as scott-free as Sasuke had hoped; obviously their arrival had been expected.

Naruto gave Sasuke a cocky smirk. "Piece of cake, eh?"

Sasuke smiled back. "Yeah." The odds were horribly against them, but Sasuke knew that they would both give it their all. They had come this far, and there was no turning back.

Kanaroe laughed and leapt down from the roof. "I'm disappointed I didn't have the Hyuuga's eye to test out for this fight, but I can try it out later. This shouldn't take long at all."

Sasuke took a quick visual sweep of his surroundings. There were at least fifteen others scattered around them, waiting to strike, plus this strange man that Sasuke knew nothing about. He and Naruto would not be able to hold out long using simply brute force. One glance at Naruto, and the blonde smirked back, understanding.

Suddenly, many copies of Naruto appeared, all grinning and bracing themselves for the fight.

Kanaroe laughed. "How childish. Come on now. Let's see how well the leaf village trains its ninjas."

As if a starting gun had been fired, instantly there was a sudden wave of action. Half of Naruto's copies sprang to meet the surrounding ambushers while the rest went after Kanaroe. Sasuke mingled with them, trying to get as close to the head nin as he could.

Kanaroe's eyes widened in surprise as he physically fought with the copies. "So you can create solid doppelgangers, can you? Quite impressive; however, not good enough." He punched one of the Naruto's away, and in the same movement kicked another back.

Sasuke could see that Kanaroe was incredibly quick. For every attack he had a counter, even before it seemed the attack had even started to be used. He dodged the blows flawlessly, and was still able to get in some of his own. Still, there was something that wasn't quite right. It took Sasuke a few moments to realize. Though his movements were quick to counter, when a doppelganger approached Kanaroe from the right, the nin wasn't as fast to block the attack.

Getting closer only confirmed it for Sasuke. _'He's blind in his right eye…'_ This Sasuke could use to his advantage. Using Naruto's copies as his distraction, he snuck up on the nin's blind side before striking.

Kanaroe whirled around in surprise to look down at the small wound Sasuke's kunai had made in his side. Smacking another Naruto away, he turned to face the offending nin.

"Well aren't you clever?"

Sasuke had to dodge the blade that suddenly plunged out at him from within Kanaroe's robes. He was almost not fast enough, and it caught on the end of his shirt, ripping it. Naruto's replicas did a good job of fighting Kanaroe's men and being enough of a distraction to keep the head nin from getting a good blow in with his knife at Sasuke.

One of the Narutos moved in behind Kanaroe, and with a flashed grin, Sasuke knew this was the real one. It was going to take a lot of teamwork to take Kanaroe down, from what Sasuke had seen so far. At least they had the advantage with his blind-spot. Sasuke wasn't even sure what the man was capable of just yet. Somehow he didn't think Kanaroe had unleashed all his big guns this soon. He was fast and accurate, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be dealt with through strategy and numbers.

Kanaroe glanced behind him at the blonde fox-child, then back at Sasuke. He still seemed unconcerned with the situation. "So which of you wants to try me first?" he beckoned with a grin.

The two answered by leaping at Kanaroe at the same time. While Naruto attacked his back from behind, Sasuke once again slipped into Kanaroe's blind area to strike another blow. To his dismay, Kanaroe's knife intercepted his kunai.

"Don't think you can pull the same trick on me twice, boy," Kanaroe stated, flinging Saske's kunai away with a flick of his wrist.

Naruto leapt between them, blocking the knife from wounding Sasuke, while the Uchiha retrieved his kunai. Just as Sasuke was standing up to make another run at Kanaroe, he was hit fully by Naruto's body, which had been thrown into him. They both went flying and crashed into the wall of a building.

Kanaroe laughed. "Good effort boys, but this is where it all ends."

Sasuke winced as Naruto got off him. The doppelgangers were not doing so well anymore due to the arrival of two familiar nin.

Temari and Kankuro were taking each down, one by one, and heading towards where Kanaroe had trapped the leaf-nin. It looked like it was going to be three against two, and if that wasn't unfair enough, all three seemed to be at a higher skill level than Sasuke and Naruto had yet achieved.

This was it. There was nothing left to loose, besides their lives. And neither Sasuke nor Naruto was going to give that up easily. Sasuke was going to kick all their asses for Neji and Naruto's sakes.

Temari and Kanakuro moved to stand behind Kanaroe, and the doppelgangers flickered out of existence. Sasuke could see the raw determination gleaming in Naruto's eyes as he crouched down, preparing to spring. Sasuke would go after Kanaroe and the blonde would cover his back. Gathering his breath, Sasuke tensed and lunged at his foe. The fight for Neji had begun.

* * *

It's a really short chapter compared to the last one, but I couldn't have too much happen too soon, and needed to get back to Gaara and Neji. Besides, I suck at writing fight scenes, and this was difficult for me to write. I didn't even start the major fight yet… 'groans' Only a few more chapters left in this story. Yay! But there is definitely going to be a sequel for this, because there will be a lot of things left hanging at the end of the fic, so the sequel will serve as just an extension of the story. 


	26. Choices

Back from work and here to deliver another chapter.

**Hurricane-rider** - Yeah, I wanted to shove in an extra chapter before I left since I had it written anyway. I know what you mean about action scenes that are just movement and not words. I can see it all in my head, but when it comes to writing it I either don't know how to write it or it comes out rather stupid. And yes, I did blatantly ignore some stuff to suit my plot needs. I don't want Neji suddenly dropping dead, lol.

kawaii** kitsune-kun** – Gaara does have a twisted confusing mind, and that only becomes more apparent in this chapter. And Sasuke's certainly going to get injured, but so are some other people… And how can I be tired of long reviews? I love them. :)

**Yaoilover S** – I hate writing fight scenes. But yeah, this isn't exactly going to be an easy fight. Kanaroe is not a pushover.

**Bitenshi** – Thank you. :) I'll keep practicing.

**ruby-sama aura-chan the neji-jin's yami** – I'm so proud of Naruto. 'sniff'

* * *

Chapter 26: Choices

Gaara was oddly quiet during the morning. Well, it wasn't all that strange since the redhead seemed to be silent most of the time anyway, but there was something different about this. Neji watched him curiously as the boy fed him some berries for breakfast. Everything that Gaara had said the previous night was swirling around in his head. Neji wasn't even sure if it was worth trying to understand the nin.

After Neji had finished eating, the Gaara watched him for a while, and his unwavering gaze soon made the brunette uncomfortable. "What?"

The redhead looked away, and seemed to be debating with himself mentally. Neji's eyes widened as Gaara's hand cupped his chin. Expecting another assault of unwelcome kisses, Neji squirmed in his grasp. What Gaara said next completely surprised the brunette.

"If I were to free you, would you stay with me?"

"What do you mean?" Neji asked. Surely Gaara wasn't suggesting what he thought he was.

Gaara didn't break his powerful gaze. "Would you travel with me and stay by my side?"

Neji was speechless. Gaara had some nerve to suggest such a thing after the treatment he had given the Hyuuga. "So you're going to give up on getting rid of your demon?"

The sand-nin shook his head. "If I can, I will try and trick Kanaroe into doing it anyway. With the help of my brother and sister it may be done. If not, there will be other chances for me to find a way to get rid of the demon. There will be other opportunities, but there is only one of you."

Neji stared at Gaara as he spoke. "And you expect me to believe all this after the crap you've put me through?"

Gaara sighed. "I realized last night that even if I were to become free of this curse, I wouldn't be happy if it was at the expense of you. You've really grown on me."

"So you'd set me free?"

"If you agreed to come and stay with me," the sand-nin confirmed.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "If you truly cared, you'd let me go regardless."

"I'm sorry. I can't give up everything for nothing. That's just the way I am. I want you to be with me, and when the demon is destroyed, we can find somewhere nice to live."

"I'm not abandoning my village," Neji said.

"And what has your village ever done for you?"

"It's my home."

Gaara sneered and looked away. "I wouldn't put so much faith in it."

"I have more faith in it than I do for you. So far, it hasn't stabbed me in the back."

"Give it time," said Gaara, standing. "I assure you that soon enough it will, one way or another." His eyes were hard and cold. Neji wondered about what had happened to cause Gaara to have such an intense hatred of his home. Was it the sand-village that had trapped the demon inside of Gaara in the first place?

"So have you decided?"

"I have no reason left to trust anything you say," Neji said bitterly.

"Fair enough. But you'll have to believe that I want to reclaim that trust."

Neji shut his eyes, ignoring Gaara. To his surprise, he felt the ropes around him loosen. He opened his eyes to see them slip away and fall to the ground. Two strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him up. Neji felt the pressure on his wrists lighten, and those ropes slid to the earth as well.

Gaara stepped back and regarded him with his arms folded. "There. No restraints. Your choice."

Neji had to keep his jaw from dropping. Just what was Gaara thinking? Neji tensed as he approached. The sand-nin wrapped his arms around Neji gently, pulling him close.

"I can get you out of this," he murmured into his hair.

Was this some sort of trick? Neji didn't know if Gaara was just playing with him or if he was serious about freeing the Hyuuga.

"When I was young, I was told I was only capable of loving myself. But you proved that wrong."

Neji didn't want to hear this. Gaara sounded sincere, but did he really mean what he said? After all he had done, was he really willing to throw it all away for the brunette? He had already said that it wasn't like him to do such a thing. Love itself was a big word to toss around, and all of a sudden and Neji felt even more trapped than he had when the ropes were bound around him.

"Don't leave me here with nothing." Gaara pulled the Hyuuga close, cradling him in his arms. Neji could feel the nin's heart beat against him. Part of him wanted to curse Gaara for coming into his life, and run as fast and as far from the sand-nin as he could. Still another was drawn towards Gaara, like a neglected dog always returning to its owner.

Gaara had done what he had to do in order to finally become free of his curse. Now, when he was so close to his goal, he was suggesting that he was willing to postpone it or find a way to accomplish it in a way that would save Neji. All he wanted in return was the Hyuuga's acceptance and affection.

Neji would have lied if he claimed he didn't feel anything for Gaara. Even through all the betrayals and hardships, he was attached to the side of Gaara that had been kind to him. It was the same side that was holding Neji in his arms at that moment, offering Neji a chance of freedom at the expense of his own. Perhaps it wasn't Gaara's fault that he had become the way he was. Neji couldn't even imagine what the sand-nin had been through during his life, and the demon writhing inside of him was probably partially to blame for Gaara's unstable nature.

"Gaara…I-I…" Neji found himself having difficulty speaking. Just what did he want to say?

The sand-nin waited patiently, running his fingers lightly through the Hyuuga's hair.

"Gaara…" Neji squeezed his eyes shut tightly and buried his face in the redhead's chest. What did he want? Did he really trust Gaara after everything that had happened? Could he walk away without looking back, leaving the nin with nothing but to start over again hopelessly? And what about Sasuke, and his home? This was too much for the Hyuuga to handle all at once.

Lips covered his own, and Neji wrapped his arms around the back of Gaara's neck, allowing it to clear out all the thoughts in his head. The redhead pulled away first, resting his forehead against Neji's. Neji felt himself getting lost in the dark green depths of the boy's eyes.

He looked up at the tattoo on the nin's brow once again. Love. It really wasn't as simple as it was made out to be. It involved sacrifice, risk, pain, and even hatred; all things that often weren't associated with such an emotion. The real determinant was whether all the hard effort was worth the true reward in the end.

Neji sighed and looked back at Gaara's waiting eyes. He squeezed the nin's hands lightly. "I don't know if I can leave my home. It still is very much a part of me. But I don't want to loose you either. I don't know if we could become more, Gaara, but if we didn't, I'd still regard you as my friend."

Gaara was silent, and leaned forward, kissing Neji chastely on the forehead. "Perhaps you may change your mind. And if you don't, then I would be happy to have someone to consider my friend." Despite Gaara's words, Neji could see the pain reflected in Gaara's eyes.

Neji felt a pain in his chest looking at the sand-nin, so he had to turn away. "So where do we go from here?"

Gaara shrugged and released his hold. "That is now up to you to decide."

"Why did you bring me out here anyway?"

"I was ordered by Kanaroe. Two ninjas from your village were spotted trailing my brother and sister. I was to get you out of the way so that they could be dealt with."

"What?" Neji's heart began to race. "What did they look like?"

Gaara shrugged. "I don't ask questions."

"Gaara." Neji's eyes were pleading as he looked at the sand-nin.

The redhead sighed and gestured. "The town is this way."

Neji raced after Gaara, praying that they wouldn't be too late. He was somehow certain that one of the leaf-nin had to be Sasuke. If he were killed, Neji would never be able to forgive himself. With that worry in mind, Neji urged Gaara to move faster. They had to make it in time.

* * *

Um…yeah…lots of sentimental stuff, not enough physical yaoi. Lol. Gaara's really spontaneous, but the thought of taking Neji away with him has been stewing in his mind for a while. It's just now he's finally decided to listen to it. Get prepared for a crappy fight scene next chapter…ugh… 


	27. Expulsion

Um…a fight scene chapter. It took me forever to write. I feel so stupid with Kanaroe using an ordinary knife (though it's definitely not a butter one). I just couldn't think of anything better or more creative. Sad, ne? Anyway, I didn't know whether to withhold this chapter a few more days. I actually had it written on Sunday, but didn't want to update too much at once. I figured I might as well post and get to work on finishing the next chapter. I think 2 more chapters should do it, or maybe 3.

**ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami** – Gaara does have bad mood swings. I thought Neji was pretty bad until Gaara came along. That demon really messed up his mind I think. Least that's my excuse. And I doubt Itachi is going to be in this fic. I don't really know what to do with him if he came in. Maybe in the sequel, though I doubt it.

**Burning tree** – 'hugs you' I'm so happy you love it. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I'm glad I struck up the courage to post it. Lol, Neji's probably considering bolting as soon as he gets the chance, but he has so many mixed feelings for Gaara. Gaara isn't helping matters by acting all 2-sided….or 4-sided…wow he has a lot of personalities. And Sasuke's trying. He's going to do his best to save Neji-chan. I think Gaara just needs to find a nice psychiatrist.

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Yeah, Gaara is twisted and confusing. And once again, Neji isn't two-timing, he's still at a deciding point. Though he is a little nervous about Gaara and his creepy mood swings, he is attracted to him and Gaara's random passes aren't helping.

* * *

Chapter 27: Expulsion

Sasuke quickly moved to block the knife with his kunai again, while clutching the fresh wound in his side. Kanaroe still had hardly a scratch on him, and Sasuke could already feel himself becoming slightly dizzy from blood-loss. Naruto was getting absolutely pummeled, yet kept getting up every time to take on Gaara's siblings again. Things were not looking good for the two leaf-nin.

Even using his sharigan wasn't giving Sasuke much of an upper hand. He still was just barely able to block Kanaroe's attacks and counter with his own. Kanaroe didn't give him enough time to use anything but hand-to-hand combat. Sasuke felt his mouth fill with blood as the knife managed to get past his defenses and penetrate again. He coughed and spat it out onto the ground. Things were starting to blur. Again, he just barely managed to raise his arm to block, but couldn't dodge the kick that sent him flying back into the wall.

"SASUKE!" he heard Naruto scream, but it sounded so far away. It hurt to move, and Sasuke watched through hazy eyes as Kanaroe approached. He had failed Neji. He had failed Naruto. He had failed himself.

He shut his eyes to the finishing blow. Sasuke knew there was no more strength left in him to block it. All he could do was hope that it came swift and clean. He sat there, but nothing came. In fact, everything had gone silent. Sasuke had to crack his eyes open to convince himself that he wasn't dead already.

Kanaroe had sand wrapping around him, and his attention was now focused on his new attacker. "Gaara," he growled.

The redhead stood there, sand pouring out of his gourd, with a deadly look on his face. Temari and Kankuro had stopped attacking Naruto, and instead watched their brother. Sasuke felt arms wrap around him gently.

"It's going to be okay now," a voice reassured the injured nin.

"Neji?" Sasuke raised his eyes to meet the clear white ones of the Hyuuga he had been frantically searching for.

Neji smiled down at him. "Everything will be fine." Sasuke followed his gaze and watched as Gaara approached Kanaroe.

"You traitor," snarled the man, struggling against the sand.

Gaara said nothing and raised his hand. The sand around Kanaroe began to tighten.

Kanaroe grinned sadistically. "You honestly think you can kill me, Gaara? If so, you're going to have to try harder than that." The sand began to splinter and crack as Kanaroe broke through it. He stalked up to Gaara. "You'll pay for your treachery, boy."

Gaara had to leap away as the earth suddenly burst from under him into sharp spikes.

"You're far from invincible." Kanaroe circled Gaara, who stood in his place, following the man with his eyes. The nin suddenly leapt at Gaara. Each strike he used was blocked by sand that swirled all around the redhead. This didn't seem to discourage Kanaroe a bit, and he continued to attack. Sasuke could see that his lips were moving in some sort of chant. The sand seemed to become more dispersed, allowing Kanaroe enough time to penetrate the outer shield.

Gaara leapt away from Kanaroe, dodging his blows and trying to keep his distance. The sand drove at the exile in an attempt to throw him outside of the circle of protection. Kanaroe appeared to have a faint aura surrounding him that deflected the assaulting sand.

Gaara narrowed his eyes and backed away. "How can you…"

Kanaroe laughed. "I know far more about your protection than you do yourself. With this," he said, gesturing to the aura, "It can't touch me."

The sand-nin continued to dodge the attacks of Kanaroe, though he didn't seem to be as unconcerned as before. Temari hurried forward to help her brother, but the sand swirling violently around the two kept her at a distance.

Kanaroe struck Gaara with his fist, causing the sand-nin to go flying and skidding into the ground. The man drove his knife down, and Gaara quickly rolled over so that it stabbed into his gourd rather than himself.

Neji found himself breathing rather rapidly. Gaara wasn't doing nearly as well as he had expected. Kanaroe seemed to know precisely what he was doing, and even the stoic Gaara was beginning to look slightly worried. The same force that served to protect Gaara also protected Kanaroe from everyone on the outside. The fight was now down to the two of them, and the exiled nin was protected by his aura from Gaara's attacks with the sand.

Gaara's eyes were gleaming a frightening shade of green, and the look on his face made Neji's skin crawl.

"Did you miss me, Shukaku?" grinned Kanaroe, advancing on Gaara.

The sand-nin was snarling, backing away and keeping Kanaroe at as much of a distance as possible. "How do you know so much about my demon?" Gaara asked, narrowing his eyes, "Enough that you are able to overcome my defenses?"

Kanaroe chuckled. "I am a man with the future always in mind. It was merely an insurance in case I came into an incident such as this."

"You…" Gaara's voice held a low rumbling growl.

The exile smirked. "Yes. I am the one that put that demon, Shukaku, inside of you."

Gaara suddenly leapt at Kanaroe with lightning speed and punched him hard in the gut. Kanaroe's feet skidded against the ground at the impact, and he laughed as he grabbed Gaara's fist, flinging him back.

"What? No hard feelings? After all, it's because of that demon inside of you that you became so strong and well protected. Many ninjas would give an arm and a leg for such power."

Gaara panted in rage, his fists shaking as he regarded his former boss. "They haven't been through what I have. All this time, you were the one…you were the one that did it."

Kanaroe smirked. "Yes, it's fun being the guinea pig, isn't it? Of course, you grew much more powerful than any of us had foreseen, and with your inability to control yourself, you soon became regarded as a threat to your own hometown. And as the one who had physically sealed the demon, I was exiled. Forget the fact that those were my orders, but now that I look back, I probably would have done it anyway." Kanaroe grinned. "You really are ungrateful for the power I have bestowed on you."

"It's a farce," growled Gaara. "What is power when you're not the one in control? I never wanted this."

"Yes, you have become quite troublesome," remarked the nin. "Perhaps I should do as you wish." Kanaroe grabbed Gaara by the shoulders and his hands began to glow brightly.

Gaara let out a pained and violent shriek and struggled in Kanaroe's grip.

"GAARA!" Neji leapt to his feet and went bolting towards the two of them. A strong wind blew up as the glowing intensified.

"NEJI!" Sasuke tried to get up but fell back against the wall, clutching his side.

Temari and Kankuro were both trying to get to Gaara like Neji, but the sand and wind around Kanaroe and the redhead was too vicious. Naruto was watching wide-eyed at the events in front of him.

Neji was hit to one side by the swirling sand and forced himself back to his feet, shielding his eyes from the wind. Gaara was spasming in Kanaroe's grip. Neji had to get to them. Gaara was doing this for him, and it was because of him that this was happening to the redhead. Neji fought against the sandstorm swirling around in thicker and thicker masses around the two ninjas in the center.

Neji couldn't see clearly, but something large was coming out of Gaara. It looked insubstantial, yet still hellishly frightening. Was this the demon? It roared and there was a bright flash of light and an explosion.

The Hyuuga went flying back with the force and slid hard against the ground. His head felt like it was going to split and he couldn't see through the dirt and debris that now hung heavy in the air after the blast. Neji managed to somehow stumble to his feet. His chest tightened in terrified worry. Gaara had been right there where the explosion had taken place. Fearing the worst, Neji ran to where Kanaroe and Gaara had been standing.

The wind and spiraling sand had all died down, so it was not difficult for Neji to get through. Gaara and Kanaroe came into sight as the dirt settled back to the ground. They were locked in hand-to-hand combat. Kanaroe was lashing his knife out at Gaara, and the unarmed sand-nin was dodging it and trying to fend himself off with his own fists. His gourd lay shattered on the ground.

"It's much harder without the protection, isn't it?" Kanaroe asked, advancing on Gaara and slashing his knife at him. Gaara blocked the blow with his own arm and the blood coated the shiny metal and dripped down the boy's arm. Neji could see other bad knife wounds in other places on Gaara.

Despite them, Gaara was still fighting back with an almost renewed life. His eyes were cleared, and Neji realized that what he had witnessed was the expelling of the demon from Gaara. Now without the extra protection, Kanaroe was trying to finish him off.

Kanaroe saw Neji approaching and grinned. "Well, coming to the rescue, are you? You can't help him now."

"Neji, get out of here," Gaara said, placing himself between Kanaroe and the Hyuuga.

"I'm not leaving you," Neji said firmly.

"Neji."

"No."

Gaara gave a small smile.

They both faced Kanaroe, who seemed rather amused at the turn of events. Without warning, he lunged at the two nin. They both managed to just get out of the way in time, but Kanaroe didn't stop or even slow down.

Neji could see that Gaara was having difficulty dodging Kanaroe's attacks. They came incredibly fast, and the sand-nin was already slowed by his previous wounds, which were all still open, and bleeding badly. He also wasn't accustomed to being in close combat situations without his sand also acting as a defense.

Knowing this, Kanaroe was aiming most of his attacks at Gaara. Neji didn't know how much longer the sand-nin could hold out. He was focusing so much attention on trying to distract Kanaroe from Gaara that he wasn't prepared for when the knife swept his way. As it came to him Neji realized that he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.

Instead of the blade searing into his chest, Neji felt warm arms wrap around him. Gaara stiffened as the knife drove into his back, and buried his face into Neji's shoulder, breathing heavily. Neji was safe.

Neji stood in shock and horror, still taking in what had just happened. Gaara's normally bright eyes were faded and cloudy. He looked up at Neji and mustered a smile. "Sorry I got you into this."

Neji just stared in disbelief as Gaara went limp in his arms.

* * *

Yes, I altered a few things. Once again, this is an A/U and I made it Kanaroe as the one who had implanted Shukaku inside of Gaara. I'm scared of the reviews I'm going to get for this chapter. Please don't hurt me for what I did to Gaara! 'hides' 


	28. Goodbye

I knew I was going to get a lot of yellings to have Gaara live… I feel really bad for what happened, but it's something that had to happen I guess. At least to fit with the way the story is going. Poor Gaara. :'( And poor Neji… I never thought I'd have a death in one of my fics because I'm usually the one going nuts when a character dies in a book/fic. Gomen.

**ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami** – The moment the gourd is lying shattered on the ground, it doesn't look too good for our beloved twisted redhead. At least he got to experience a few moments of life free of the demon. He would rather have that than to live the rest of his life bound with Shukaku. Then again, he'd rather be free of the demon and run off with Neji, but life isn't perfect.

**Burning tree** – Everything happened so fast after the sand defenses vaporized that no one really had time to react. Neji was the only one who fought his way through the sand and wind so that he was so close to where Gaara and Kanaroe were fighting.

**Silent Grey** – Gaara is an awesome character. I adore him. And I feel bad that he died, but it was something that had to happen before the sequel. Things would've gotten much too difficult/complicated if I made him live. And I'm glad you like my writing style…even if I killed a character. 'guilty'

**Sinn** – There (should) be a lot of yaoi in the sequel. Unfortunately, Gaara wont be part of that. 'made herself sad' Death does tend to strike down suddenly and unexpectedly.

**Yaoilover S** – Neji: Why isn't there a goddamn payphone anywhere in this town! Call an ambulance!

shalanar: 'falls over and spazzes' Gaara dies in the manga? AAAHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOO!

**Hurricane-rider** – Wow you guys are guilting me as much as I'm guilting myself. But it is something that had to be done. Sometimes…you've just gotta say goodbye… 'bawls'

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Just as a sneak peek, the sequel will be a SasuNaruNeji, like its prequel was supposed to be.

* * *

Chapter 28: Goodbye

"Gaara? GAARA!" Neji screamed at the limp form in his arms. "FUCK, GAARA, ANSWER ME!" The brunette began to shake as tears started to flood from his eyes. Still Gaara did not respond.

"NEJI, LOOK OUT!"

Sasuke's voice all of a sudden pushed Neji out of his daze and he quickly moved to the side to miss Kanaroe's fist. He suddenly noticed Sasuke was standing near him, clutching his wounded side, but also holding his kunai and looking deadly. Naruto was beside the Uchiha with his fists clenched. Temari approached Neji from behind and looked at her unmoving brother in the nin's arms. With a flick, she unfolded her fan and approached Kanaroe.

"You bastard." Her voice was hard and calm, but Neji could detect an underlying wavering in her words. Kankuro was not far behind her.

It seemed that the tables had turned, and now it was Kanaroe fighting one against five. Neji looked down at Gaara in his arms and gently lay him down. When he got up, his Byakugan was fully activated.

"I am going to _kill_ you," he snarled at Kanaroe.

Kanaroe narrowed his eyes and backed away slightly. He drew out yet another knife from his robes, though he did not appear as confident as before as the five angry nin surrounded him.

"You're the cause of all this," growled Neji, approaching Kanaroe. He could feel his heart pounding in his head from all the anger that was completely overtaking his senses. Images of Gaara covered in blood and lifeless on the ground swirled around his head. "You did this to Gaara. You put that demon into him, and you're the reason he ended up like he did. Then you used him, and killed him. I'm not going to let that sit unavenged. You wanted my Byakugan so much; well, you're going to die for it now."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kanaroe while Neji was talking. The man was powerful, and it was still possible that he could defeat them all. Both Sasuke and Naruto were not in the best of shape, and he wasn't sure what else Kanaroe had up his sleeve. Perhaps he had some way to counter Gaara's siblings, like he was able to with the redhead. They still needed to gain an upper-hand to ensure victory. In a few moments, Sasuke knew what he had to do.

"Naruto!" he signaled to the blonde.

The fox-child wasn't precisely sure what Sasuke was planning, but he figured he was to be the diversion. He darted at Kanaroe's legs, ignoring the splitting pain that shot up his muscles. Kankuro and Temari were closing in on the exile, as well as Neji. With so many attacks coming at him from all around him, Kankuro was left open to Sasuke's assault. The Uchiha rebounded off Naruto and drove his kunai into Kanaroe's left eye.

Kanaroe screeched and flung Sasuke away before clutching his bleeding eye socket. The dark-haired nin was caught by Neji.

"Good work." The brunette released him and stalked towards Kanaroe.

The completely blinded nin slashed out wildly all around him. Then he seemed to reconsider, and stood, trying to listen for any movement approaching him. Sasuke picked up and fingered a large rock. He locked eyes with Temari and she nodded. Sasuke drew his arm back and flung it at Kanaroe. The exile whirled around and deflected the rock, leaving himself open to Temari's attack from behind.

The fan hit him hard, causing him to go flying into Kankuro. The knife flew out of Kanaroe's hands as Kankuro kicked him down. Neji ran and picked it up, moving quickly up to plunge the blade into the one who had taken Gaara from him.

Kanaroe gurgled as the knife slammed in between his ribs. His hand went out and clutched the top of Neji's head.

"Hyuuga," his voice growled. His grip tightened on the brunette's head, intent on crushing it.

Naruto slammed into Kanaroe's side, breaking his grip with Neji and causing him to go skidding against the ground, driving the knife even deeper. They all stood and watched, but Kanaroe did not get up.

Walking over, Neji pushed Kanaroe over with his foot. The exile's sightless eyes were opened up to the clear blue sky and a stream of blood trickled steadily out of his mouth. His limbs were rigid, as if he were nothing more than a grotesque statue.

"Is he dead?" Sasuke questioned, walking over.

Neji nodded and turned away from the morbid sight. Slowly he walked over to where Gaara's body lay. His siblings were already there. Temari had her face buried in her hands as she crouched by her brother, and Kankuro stood stoically, looking down at the redhead.

Neji knelt by Gaara and ran his palm over the boy's cold cheek. His eyes began to burn and he withdrew his hand to wipe at the tears. He would normally refuse to cry in public, but all that seemed insignificant now. The sand-nin's face was relaxed and peaceful, and a small stream of blood had run along the symbol for love on his forehead.

"You finally got to sleep," Neji's voice cracked, burying his face in the nin's still chest. "You don't have to apologize, I forgive you. Just…just don't leave me." His chest heaved with uncontrolled sobs as he gripped onto the redhead tightly.

"Neji," a soft voice said. The Hyuuga felt warm arms wrap around him and pull him gently away. "Neji, you have to let go."

The brunette resisted as his sobbing intensified, but finally gave in to the gentle tugging. Neji buried his face into Sasuke's chest as the tears continued in an unending flow.

Sasuke looked down at the lifeless body of his rival. He had cursed the boy so much, and wished him dead several times, but now looking at what should be his wish come true, he felt no joy. Instead there was a sense of hollowness. If everything he had heard was correct, Gaara was just as much of a victim as the rest of them. He never had to come back and help, but he did. He gave his life for Neji. His efforts were not going to be in vain. To him, Sasuke would always be grateful.

They buried Gaara with the shattered remnants of his gourd. The entire proceeding was carried out in silence, except for the occasional sound of crying. The sunset glowed a blood-red like Gaara's hair and the still leafy green trees in the fading light reminded Neji of the sand-nin's brilliant eyes.

Finally, Neji was able to stop the outflowing of tears. His throat hurt and eyes burned from crying for so long. Now he found himself staring at Gaara's fresh grave almost as stoically as the sand-nin was himself before. Gaara had died to save him, so that he could live, and Neji was not going to take that for granted. He would keep living for Gaara, for Sasuke, for everyone. Willing himself to turn away from the patch of earth that concealed the sand-nin from him, he faced Temari and Kankuro.

"Will you be coming back with us?" he asked them.

Kankuro shook his head, and Temari spoke. "We're going to be heading back to our own village now, to give news of Gaara's death. After that I suppose we'll just travel. I doubt we will be welcome back into your village."

Neji shook his head. "I will make sure you are welcome. Without your help we would not have been able to defeat Kanaroe. We may have started out as enemies, but I hope that now, we can consider you as friends." The Hyuuga held out his hand.

Temari blinked at it and then smiled. She took it and shook. "Yes. Maybe we will see each other again. My brother has always been a good judge of character. I know you won't let us down. We will be sure to drop by some time."

Neji smiled sadly and looked down at the grave once more. "Goodbye, Gaara," he whispered softly before turning away and walking home with Sasuke and Naruto.

* * *

I know Kanaroe died pretty fast…I just didn't want to have to write another long fight scene. 'sweatdrop' I think I ruined it with the rushed-ness. Oh well… And I can't apologize enough for the angstiness of Gaara dying. My stomach hurt a lot after writing it. One more chapter to go and then the sequel. I have an idea of what to happen in it, and I'll try to keep all the characters alive this time. Hopefully there will be a lot more yaoi-ish scenes in it as well. Pairing to come will be SasuNaruNeji. 


	29. Home

Final chapter! Yay! More of a short filler chapter than anything to just finish stuff up and be set up for the sequel.

**Yaoilover S** – Yes, the pairing will be a threesome.

**Sinn** – There's going to be a sequel, which will just continue with the story, but the plotline changes slightly. I felt it'd be better to make it a separate story than to add it onto this massive thing. I think the sequel will take place a month or two after this fic.

**Eilonnwy** – That's what I originally wanted to do but I was afraid I'd describe it all wrong and chickened out.

**Hurricane-rider** – My stomach ache got really intense when I was writing. 'sniff' Gaara….

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – Yeah, the sequel will actually get to the pairing I set out to write. Naruto better be obedient this time.

**Lala to the power of 2** – No clue where the story was actually going? Sounds about right. 'sweatdrop, grin' This story went through a few plot phases, and did do a nice 180 flip on me. Started out like it was supposed to start out with the conflict between Naruto and Sasuke. Was supposed to turn into a threesome, and Naruto wasn't having any of that. Then Gaara showed up (and I hadn't planned on him until I wrote him talking) and screwed everything over. Then the yaoi-ish rain scene was destroyed by Gaara showing up again, and on a completely random brainstorm, Gaara kidnaps Neji. Then Gaara dies. The starting point is waaaaaay far away from the ending point, and the story doesn't even fit the title very well anymore. Oh well, it was an enjoyable ride anyway. :) I think I have a more solid idea with the sequel, but hopefully that wont blow up in my face as well. I'm glad you like it though. 'Sallies forth.'

**Burning tree** – Evil love is the greatest. ;)

* * *

Chapter 29: Home

It had be three weeks since Gaara had died, and things were finally getting back to normal. People had stopped fussing over Neji and bombarding him with questions of what had happened. He didn't tell them much, and if their prying got to be too intense, Sasuke and Naruto were always around to tell the others to back off. They had both had to serve punishment with labor work for the first week because they had run off to rescue Neji without permission.

Neji had told the Hokage and any of the elders who asked that both he and Gaara had been captured by Kanaroe. In a sense, it wasn't exactly a lie. Temari and Kankuro had become so distraught about not being able to find Gaara in the village that they had decided to take matters into their own hands. Neji knew if he had told the truth, even if it was slightly accepted, the village may still view the two sand-nin as enemies. What Neji didn't fully alter was that Gaara was killed in battle trying to help Neji to escape.

The Hyuuga never realized how much the sand-nin had meant to him. Most of the time he had been angry and frustrated by Gaara's confusing remarks and split personality, but now that he understood why, that anger seemed irrelevant. He didn't know if he would've gone so far with the redhead's offer as to run off with him, but Neji would have been happy if he had been able to convince Gaara to stay in Kohana. Neji remembered Temari's last words to him.

"He died free. That was more than he ever expected."

Neji walked down the streets, lost in thought, and ignored the stares that had followed him since he had returned.

"Oi! Neji! Over here!" Naruto waved from the ramen stall for Neji to come and join them. Sasuke was sitting in the seat next to the blonde, trying to maintain his bored appearance. Neji could see his lip corners quirk though as Neji walked over.

The three chatted amiably, and Neji found himself surprised with the realization of how sociable he was being. Even Sasuke had become slightly more talkative, and smiled more often. Whatever uneasiness had existed between Naruto and Sasuke seemed to have lifted, and it seemed that they had gone back to being friendly rivals again.

As Naruto ordered up another ramen, Sasuke turned to face Neji.

"How have things been?"

"Better," said Neji. "Most of the questions have died down. Though the others aren't fully convinced with what I told them, they've accepted it."

Sasuke nodded. "That's good." He looked over at Naruto. "I told you that if you exceeded seven bowls that I was not going to pay for it."

Naruto just grinned and started in on his eighth. "You can pay for the first seven."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Forget it. You're on your own with this one. Come on Neji." He got up off the stool.

"No, Sasuke, wait!" Naruto said quickly, downing his bowl. "I don't have enough to pay! Don't leave me!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Neji laughed, putting down some money on the counter.

"Come on then, Naruto. Let's go."

"Since you're so nice; one more bowl please?" Naruto grinned at Neji, and the brunette responded by pulling the headband over his eyes before running away, smirking.

"Hey, you jerk!" laughed Naruto, uncovering his eyes and chasing after Neji.

Sasuke smirked and followed the two. Somehow, everything had all worked out. He furrowed his brow as Neji all of a sudden stopped and rubbed his temple. Naruto went crashing into him, unable to stop his momentum. Sasuke ran up to them.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked in concern to the two nin.

Neji nodded. "Sorry Naruto. I'm fine." He smiled as he stood up, and offered his hand to help the blonde to his feet.

Sasuke shrugged and joined the two in walking. He wasn't sure what had caused Neji to all of a sudden stop dead, but after all, it was probably nothing. Little did he know how much more than a nothing it was.

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I actually had the entire thing written days ago, but couldn't find a good concluding sentence. I'd like to thank Kowaikage for helping to coax that out of me, or I would've let it sit for many more days. The sequel may be delayed a bit since I'm going on a camping trip (lol, for work again) for a week and I probably wont write much before then. Then again, I may surprise myself. I want to thank all my readers and reviewers for taking the time to sit down with my fic through all the twists and turns to read it. I hope you liked it. You guys are the greatest. :) 


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